600 

 500 

 400 

 300 

 200 

 100 

 



1995 



1996 



1997 



1998 



1999 



I Patrol Hours D Transit Hours n Research Hours n Logistics Hours 



Figure 9. 1995 to 1999 flight hour use summary. 



Ice Patrol used 272 hours of HC- 

 130H time in 1999, a 46% reduction from 

 the 502 hours used in 1998 (Figure 9). 

 The reason for this dramatic reduction was 

 the early suspension of aerial 

 reconnaissance due to the minimal iceberg 

 threat in 1999. Mild iceberg seasons do 

 not always lead to such impressive savings 

 in aircraft usage. Figure 10 compares 

 flight hours with the number of icebergs 

 south of 48°N latitude since 1984. This 

 graphic shows that, although the threat to 

 the transatlantic mariner may vary, Ice 

 Patrol must still expend a fairly consistent 

 number of flight hours to ensure that the 

 Grand Banks region of the North Atlantic 

 ocean is safe for navigation. In some 

 years, a few icebergs may greatly extend 

 the LAKI even though there may not be a 

 large number of icebergs passing south of 

 48°N. Therefore, Ice Patrol is often in the 

 position of having to patrol a large area of 

 ocean with widely spaced iceberg targets. 



Distinguishing among the many 

 types of targets that frequent the Grand 

 Banks region is a continuing challenge for 

 Ice Patrol's airborne reconnaissance. The 

 visibility is notoriously bad, and frequently 



the identity of a target must be 

 determined based solely on its RADAR 

 image. Both the SLAR and the FLAR 

 provide valuable clues about the identity 

 of the targets; however, in most cases, 

 the FLAP'S superior imaging capability 

 provides the definitive information. 



2500 



2000 



1500 



1000 



500 



S4 85 86 87 38 as 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 



Figure 10. 1984 to 1999 comparison of the number of 

 icebergs south of 48 N to HP's total flight hours. 



Figure 1 1 shows the numbers and 

 types of targets detected during 1999 IIP 

 reconnaissance patrols according to 

 three general categories: icebergs, 



13 



