SH 89 – CASA C-212 Aviocar (1986-2005)

The SH 89 is an aircraft primarily for antisubmarine operations, but is also used for sea surveillance and transports.  The SH 89, a variant of the well-known Spanish CASA Aviocar, (the manufacturers designation is C-212-300), was provided to the Air Force in 1986. On the same time, the Swedish Coast Guard bought three similar aircraft for sea- and fishing zone supervision. 

The SH 89 is equipped with a radar type PS-864 in the nose. The radar is used for the searching of small objects (like the periscope of a submarine) at the surface of the sea. It is also used for navigation and to fix the position of ships. Hydrophone buoys are carried and can be dropped in the reconnaissance area. The buoys transmit sound signals to the operators in the aircraft. With help of a computer system,  they can compare the sounds from the buoys with the earlier recorded sound of different submarine types. 

Another aid is the FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) system, that is used to search for objects as submarines under the surface. The system indicates differences of temperature of the water, which follows the wake of a submarine. Other equipment includes a SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar), camera equipment and microwave radiometer. 

The SH 89 has  crew of five – two pilots, one flight engineer, one hydrophone operator and one system operator, who also leads the tactical missions. 

The aircraft is powered with two Garret TPE-331-10R-513C turboprop engines, each delivering 900 hp (671 kW).  

Length: 16,15 m. Span: 20,28 m. MTOW 7.700 kg. Max. speed 310 km/h.   

Updated 2010-07-17