RAWTAG #32: REIMS F406 VIGILANT

Description

In April 1991 the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency was established as an executive agency of the Scottish Office with 230 staff, 20 coastal offices, 6 protection vessels and 2 surveillance aircraft. Tasked with monitoring and enforcement of maritime activity in Scottish waters, the two aircraft were operated on contract by Directflight (later trading as Airtask Group) and based at Inverness airport (EGPE).
In April 2009, following devolution, the SFPA ceased to exist, with its duties being absorbed into the newly formed Marine Scotland.
The aircraft type flown was the Reims F406 Vigilant, a twin-engined turboprop carrying three crew members.
Fitted with an array of sensors, cameras and radar equipment, the F406 was a highly successful platform for the operation. G-SFPA entered service in 1991 and flew more than 15,000 hours of patrols before being replaced by a newer variant of the same type in 2008. It continued to fly for a further ten years as a test bed for an avionics company, finally being withdrawn from service in 2018 and placed into storage.
The airframe was scrapped in 2024.
The tag available here was produced from panels salvaged from G-SFPA. It is lightweight honeycomb material taken from the fuselage skin.
In July 2025, following Government spending reviews, it was decided to disband the air surveillance team and dispose of the assets thus concluding more than 30 years of patrols.