The BDF will be getting a Cessna Caravan - the army's first. And, better yet, it will be equipped with a radar system that will assist with interdicting transnational criminals coming into the country, whether through the seas or the air - including drug planes.
Acting Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Burns explained more today:
Lt. Col. Jermaine Burns, Acting Chief of Staff
"When it comes to the assets, you know that we have aging assets, the aircraft has been here since the early 90's and it's a pretty old set that we have, we have some engines coming in for that and once it has reached a certain amount of hours on those engines and that airframe, we'll have to decommission it. When it comes to the rotary wing air assets, we're servicing the one right now that we have going but we expect to, in the future, go through some sort of cooperation with one of our partner nations to try and bid for rotary. But happy to say that our fixed wing capability is going to be improved 100/100 because we're getting this Cessna Caravan. What it is is that it's a platform that will carry radar system, it will also carry operators on board and the pilots will be able to track elicit movement coming by form of air or sea in the country to be able to steer ground forces to those particular vicinities the threat exists. It will work hand in hand with the joint intelligence and operation center here and so we hope that this bridges the gap that we now have to respond to the correct area because as it stands, what we're doing is pre-positioning forces across the country, it eats up a lot of our logistics, and these guys have to be guessing and gaming with the transnational organized criminals. The platform is going to bridge that gap where we're going to know exactly where to send our troops and of course hopefully, intercept before these guys move whatever elicit they're bringing into our country."
