Two E-9As, based on the Dash 8, are operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, based at Tyndall AFB, Florida. They are used in weapons evaluation programmes, primarily as a surveillance platform to ensure that the Gulf Coast waters are clear of civilian ships and aircraft during live missile firings.

Dozens of Canadian and foreign student navigators are trained each year on the CT-142 at the Canadian Forces Air Navigation School, located at 17 Wing, Winnipeg. The CT-142 is a conversion of the Dash-8, adapted for navigation training by Bombardier in the late 1980s.

Surveillance Australia, based in Adelaide, has provided specialist aerial surveillance of the Australian exclusive economic zone since 1995 on a long-term contract to the Australian Customs Service. It is planning to increase the size of its Dash 8 fleet from its original five, to ten during 2008. They will comprise six Dash 8-202 and four of the Dash 8-315 longer endurance variant. All the aircraft will be fitted with improved sensors.

Learjet C-21As are military variants of the Learjet 35A business jet and are used by the USAF primarily for cargo and passenger airlift. They can also employed on medical evacuation. This particular aircraft (84-0137) is on the strength of the 458th Airlift Sqn/375 Airlift Wing, based at Scott AFB, Illinois.

Pel-Air Aviation is a major air charter operator based in Sydney, Australia. Its defence support division operates four Learjet 36 aircraft for a variety of tasks, primarily on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy. Its roles include target towing for surface-to-air gunnery, electronic warfare simulation and range clearance and surveillance.

Rega Swiss Air-Ambulance specialises in worldwide medical evacuation, for which it operates and maintains three Challenger CL 604 from its base at Zurich Airport. The company is unique in that the aircraft are dedicated air-ambulances. It also has the distinction of flying a greater number of hours per year than any other Challenger operator.

For their multimission tasks, many of which involve flying above the North Atlantic in areas around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, the Royal Danish Air Force has equipped its CL-604 Challengers with a retractable electro-optical imaging turret and an APS-143B(V)3 OceanEye sea surveillance radar (mounted under the fuselage).

This view of the Sentinel R1 clearly illustrates its Bombardier Global Express business jet origin.
ASTOR is the United Kingdom’s latest ISTAR system and comprises ground and air components. The air element consists of five heavily-modified Global Express business jets, with the in-service designation Sentinel R.I. All five Sentinels will be in service by early 2008.