No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaCollaboration with U.S. helps Costa Rica inaugurate new air surveillance plane

Collaboration with U.S. helps Costa Rica inaugurate new air surveillance plane

Costa Rican authorities on Thursday inaugurated a new airplane that will be utilized by the country’s Air Surveillance Service (SVA), a branch of the Public Security Ministry (MSP).

The Beechcraft King Air 250 aircraft was purchased largely through a $7.5 million investment from the SVA with significant support from the U.S. Government. The United States contributed $500,000 toward the cost of the aircraft and is providing an additional $5.5 million for ongoing training, support and maintenance.

The Air Surveillance Service conducts anti-drug trafficking missions, often in conjunction with the United States. It also transports food, medicine and emergency supplies during humanitarian missions.

“SVA staff were trained for the use of such technological equipment,” a Public Security Ministry statement reads. “This will come to strengthen police, operational and preventive actions in favor of safety from the air, by sea and on land.”

In 2017, the U.S. Embassy in San José gave Costa Rica’s Public Security Ministry a $1 million donation for a separate aircraft, a King Air F90.

And in 2014, the U.S. Southern Command purchased a flight simulator to help train Costa Rica’s SVA pilots.

The King Air 250, registered as MSP-002, has a maximum range of 1,720 nautical miles, according to the manufacturer.

 

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Faces a Must-Win for a Place in 2026 World Cup

Costa Rica's national soccer team faces a defining stretch in their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup. With just two points from their...

Costa Rica Proposes Date for Chaves Immunity Review

Costa Rica's lawmakers took a step forward today in addressing the latest push to strip President Rodrigo Chaves of his legal protections. The Legislative...

Costa Rica Traffic Accidents Drive Up Insurance Premiums

Costa Rica's roads have turned into a deadly trap, with traffic accidents claiming more lives and causing more injuries than ever before. On Friday,...

Costa Rica Updates National ID Card with Enhanced Security Features

Costa Rica's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) rolled out a redesigned physical identity card today. The update focuses on better protection against fraud while keeping...

Back North from Costa Rica: An Expat’s Culture Shock

I am presently away from Costa Rica. I am in a foreign country. I was born here, but it is now a different place...

Costa Rica Approves Extradition of Ex-Minister Gamboa and Associates

A Costa Rican court has approved the extradition of former Security Minister Celso Gamboa Sánchez to the United States on charges of international cocaine...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica