Maritime patrol
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Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring large areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities in patrolled waters.
Maritime patrol refers to active patrol of an area, as opposed to passive monitoring systems such sound-detection fixtures or land-based spotters. Instead patrol consists of an asset entering the patrolled area and actively seeking out activities to be identified and reported. Maritime patrol is critical in wartime situations for navies to locate enemy forces to engage or defend against. Peacetime patrols are important for interdiction of criminal activities and for ensuring fair economic use of waters.
Maritime patrols can be conducted by surface ships and submarines, by aircraft and other aerial vehicles, and even by satellites. Human spotting remains an important part of detecting activity, but increasingly numerous electronic systems are used to detect the signature of the targeted activity in other ways.
Several types of maritime patrol missions exist. A particular asset may be tasked with any combination of these:
- Military: Navies employ patrols to locate and identify enemy or potential enemy ships and submarines. The patrols report these findings to combat vessels which can then engage enemy forces or take other appropriate action. Important characteristics to identify are the numbers and types of vessels, as well as bearing and speed information to assist tracking the units. Anti-submarine patrols often are tasked with deploying sonobouys or other devices to assist with tracking. During peacetime, patrols are maintained by military forces to both hone units' abilities and to prevent surprise deployments by potential enemies.
- Law enforcement: Countries with extensive coastlines are vulnerable to criminal activities which exploit these as a way of entering or exiting the country undetected. In particular smuggling is often carried out over water. Law enforcement agencies often employ maritime patrol assets to locate and assist in the interdiction of such activities. Not only surface vessels, but also aircraft are used by criminals to penetrate coastal borders.
- Economic: Water areas, in particular those close to the coast, are major areas of economic activity. Not only shipping but also fishing and even tourism are important economic activities to coastal countries. Patrolling these waters to ensure fair economic use of them falls to maritime patrol assets. Similar to law enforcement, these patrols aim at identifying undesireable activities. Such patrols may seek fishing vessels which are outside of prescribed fishing grounds (often from neighboring countries' fleets) or which are not adhering to local regulations. Additionally, economic maritime patrols may assist customs agencies by monitoring commercial shipping traffic in controlled waters.
- Coast defense: A variant of the above missions, coast defense is specifically focussed on identifying and interdicting threats to coastal areas. During times of tension this may include preventing covert enemy infiltrations or discouraging enemy surveillance of coastal installations. Law enforcement patrols aim at preventing criminals from reaching the shoreline.
- Surface ship: The most traditional form of maritime patrol is to send out ships to sail the seas and report their findings. Generally smaller vessels with limited combat ability are employed, so that larger numbers can be acquired and thus larger expanses can be covered. In modern times, sophisticated electronics are installed to increase these units' efficiency. Despite limited armament, such vessels are usually capable of engaging enemy patrols and defending to some degree from air attack. Patrol vessels are often specialized for a certain type of mission, such as anti-submarine patrol. Surface ships are also heavily used for law enforcement.
- Submarine: Surface vessels are vulnerable to larger enemy naval forces, as well as to air attack. To offset this, submarines came into use as patrol vessels for missions farther from home waters, where the danger of enemy attack was increased. Submarines also offered the added bonus of carrying powerful torpedoes which allowed them to exploit opportunity targets better than most other patrol units. Unfortunately, their limited sensors above the surface cut down on the amount of surface they can cover at any given time. Submarines are generally only used for military patrol missions.
- Aircraft: Patrol was one of the first roles for aircraft at sea, with larger ships equipped with small planes for use as scouts. Generally aircraft carried by ships are used for patrol of the waters around the ship to prevent enemy ships and submarines from sneaking up on them, and give them the initiative in a sea battle. Carriers use such patrols to identify targets for air strikes. Larger land-based aircraft are capable of patrolling for long distances and maintaining their patrols for many hours. However, aircraft are limited in the amount of armaments they carry, instead relying on airstrikes by other planes to attack targets. Due to their high point of view and fast speed, aircraft can cover large expanses of water quickly, making them ideal for spotting small or fast targets that may otherwise evade slower surface ships. Anti-submarine patrol has been one of the most widely tasked roles for aircraft.
- Helicopter: Helicopters share much with the airplane, but offer unique advantages. Their ability to hover allows them to not only scan the surface but also to drop sensors into the water to search underwater, making them prime candidates for anti-submarine duties. Their small size and lack of need for landing space also makes them ideal for employment on naval ships, so most ships carry at least one helicopter aboard for patrol. However, helicopters have limited range, and cannot maintain long endurance patrols like land-based aircraft. Helicopters, like aircraft, are also heavily employed in law enforcement patrols.
- Satellite: The value of satellites for maritime patrol was quickly grasped, as the a satellite has the ability to monitor any patch of water immune to enemy attack or interdiction. Improving technology has made sensors more capable of spotting and identifying various activities on the surface and even underwater. However, limitations exist. Often satellites are not in proper position when needed, or a country may simply lack enough to cover the desired areas. They are very expensive and only a few nations can afford sufficient coverage. Additionally they are subject to interference both by natural weather patterns and the like as well as human countermeasures and spoofs.
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