The Mysterious Case Of Customs And Border Protection’s Unmarked S-76 Helicopters

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated Apr 23, 2020 5:51 PM EDT

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations division, or AMO, operates one the largest air arms of any U.S. federal government agency outside of the U.S. military, often going back and forth with State Department’s sprawling Air Wing for the top spot on that list. AMO has a diverse array of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, as well as Reaper drones , none of which are particularly difficult to find information about, with the curious exception of a small and mysterious fleet of three Sikorsky S-76B helicopters.

AMO, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a whole, is extremely tight-lipped about the trio of S-76Bs. The Department of Homeland Security, of which CBP is a part, registered all three helicopters, which carry the U.S. civil registration codes N159CM, N269FL, and N844LC, in 2012, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records. They all wear a non-descript black-and-gray paint scheme that is distinct from other AMO aircraft and have no markings beyond their registrations.

Sikorsky first introduced the twin-engine S-76 line in the late 1970s and began producing the B variant in the late 1980s. The S-76B evolved from what the company had originally marketed as the S-76 Mk II , which featured more powerful engines along with improved avionics and other upgrades that gave it a true all-weather capability. All of AMO’s S-76Bs were made in 1987, the first year that variant came onto the market.

Newer models of the S-76 remain in production today and it has been a very successful product line for Sikorsky with more than 1,000 examples built in total to date. Variants are in service with militaries, law enforcement agencies, and commercial and civilian operators around the world. It is a top choice VIP transport duties, ranging from business executives and celebrities to heads of state even royalty. The Queen’s Helicopter Flight , which serves Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family, notably has a custom S-76C++ variant . Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were also flying in an S-76B when it crashed earlier this year , tragically killing all of those on board.

A Sikorsky S-76B., Elisabeth Klimesch via Wikimedia

AMO’s “Sikorsky S-76 helicopters are a medium-range, tactical apprehension aircraft used by CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) to protect the American public from threats of terrorism and drug smuggling, and to enforce airspace security over critical venues,” CBP’s brief official fact sheet on the helicopters says. “They are medium lift utility helicopters, which can carry multiple personnel and equipment for various law enforcement operations without sacrificing range or speed.”

This is similar to how CBP describes the functions of AMO’s Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys . The “medium-range” descriptor separates all of these helicopters from the rest of its rotary wing fleets , which also include shorter-range Airbus AS350 A-Star , Airbus EC120 , and Bell Huey II helicopters.

However, the “tactical apprehension aircraft” description is immediately curious. The S-76Bs notably lack any visible sensor turrets with visual and infrared video cameras or spotlights, which are common features on helicopters tasked with “tactical” law enforcement missions across the United States and elsewhere in the world, including AMO’s own UH-60s and UH-1Ns.

One of CBP’s UH-60 Black Hawks with a much more typical law enforcement configuration, including a sensor turret under the nose and spotlight mounted in front of the landing gear strut on the right side of the helicopter., CBP

The S-76Bs do have a number of non-standard antennas, typically associated with high-frequency radios and other communications systems, on top of and below their tail booms. In 2017, Rotor and Wing International magazine published an interview with CBP Air Interdiction Agent Will Suggs, which included a picture of him standing next to one of the S-76Bs. That piece noted that “Suggs is also a technical communications officer.”

CBP’s own fact sheet for S-76B lists satellite communications capabilities, as well as night-vision capable cockpits, and the ability to seat eight passengers, as the helicopter’s notable features.

The extent of CBP’s official fact sheet on its three S-76s., CBP

Pictures of all three of the helicopters also show what appears to be tinted cabin windows and at least one picture of N269FL is available showing interior shades inside the main cabin. All of these features are more indicative of what one might expect to see on a helicopter tasked with a VIP transport or another form of specialized support mission.

CBP’s public affairs office declined multiple opportunities to offer more specific details on the roles and missions of AMO’s S-76Bs beyond what is in the fact sheet online. “AMO often conducts contingency operations and national taskings, including disaster relief, humanitarian efforts, and high profile security events, therefore there can be a multitude of “secondary missions” outside the scope of border security,” a spokesperson for the agency told The War Zone broadly in response to questions about these particular helicopters.

A VIP airlift or otherwise niche mission set would fit with the fact that all of S-76Bs are presently assigned to AMO’s National Capital Region Air Branch, also referred to as the Manassas Air Branch, which is headquartered at Manassas Regional Airport in the Virginia city of the same name. The airport is situated just shy of 30 miles southwest of downtown Washington, D.C. As of 2017, the branch also managed geographically separate detachments in Plattsburgh and New York City in New York state, as well as Houlton, Maine.

Two of CBP’s S-76Bs are visible at the bottom in this satellite image of the agency’s facilities at Manassas Regional Airport in 2016. Aurora Flight Sciences, which is also based at the airport, operates out of the hangar above and its high-altitude, long-endurance Orion drone is seen parked out front., Google Earth

“The Manassas Air Branch conducts security missions for events designated as National Special Security Events or given Special Event Assessment Ratings,” according to CBP’s website . “It is also responsible for conducting airborne surveillance missions for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”

The U.S. federal government generally routinely designates any major national-level gathering that could present an attractive target for terrorists or other nefarious actors as a National Special Security Event or otherwise gives it a Special Event Assessment Rating . These range from major government gatherings, such as State of the Union addresses, to the conventions the Republican and Democratic Parties hold during presidential election years, to national championship sporting events, such as the Super Bowl. The associated security assessments support subsequent planning for those events, which would include the positioning of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, along with quick reaction teams, to respond to any crisis and potentially secure and extract VIPs from harm’s way.

A low-quality picture showing one of the Manassas Air Branch’s AS350 helicopters flying over Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center in 2016, when it was the site of the Democratic National Convention, a designated National Special Security Event, that year., CBP

In 2015, the CBP S-76Bs with the registrations N159CM and N844LC were both spotted at Wings Field in Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania, which is situated some 15 miles northwest of Philidelphia, during Pope Francis’ visit to the latter city. The Papal visit certainly meets the definition of an event that would have gotten a Special Event Assessment Rating.

There are also indications that the S-76Bs fly general patrols or other routine flights in the airspace over and around Washington, D.C. Steve Trimble, Aviation Week ‘s Defense Editor and good friend of The War Zone , spotted N844LC orbiting for a period in Northern Virginia using online flight tracking software earlier this month.

“It would not be irregular to see an AMO aircraft operating in the National Capital Region, likely originating from the Manassas Air Branch, as that is well within Manassas’ area of operations,” CBP’s spokesperson told The War Zone in regards to this specific flight. “AMO cannot provide details on the specific flight mentioned, as our aircrews frequently conduct missions in conjunction with federal, state, local, and tribal partners, and specific details are law enforcement sensitive.”

Given the National Capital Region Air Branch’s “airborne surveillance mission,” it is also possible that the S-76Bs have some form of covert surveillance capability, such as carrying devices that mimic cell phone towers that can then, depending on the particular model, geo-locate an individual by way of their phone signal or even collect metadata or audio from calls. These devices are commonly called “ dirtboxes ” or “ stingrays ,” references to manufacturer DRT and a brand of products from L3Harris, respectively, and CBP is known to employ them .

At the same time, at least one AS350 helicopter is permanently assigned to the National Capital Region Air Branch and other AMO helicopters with overt aerial surveillance capabilities are known to operate in the greater Washington, D.C. area, as well as the other areas of the country that are within the branch’s broader area of responsibility and that of its separate detachments. It seems most likely that the S-76Bs are primarily used on a day-to-day basis for ferrying VIPs from the CBP, and the Department of Homeland Security, as a whole, as well as important visitors to any federal agencies, around the Washington, D.C. area, while also being able to fly limited surveillance missions in a secondary capacity.

The S-76Bs may also have a role in just ferrying VIPs from within CBP, and the Department of Homeland Security, as a whole, as well as important visitors to any federal agencies, around the Washington, D.C. area. These helicopters could also be integrated on some level into the U.S. government’s “ continuity of government ” plans, which include procedures for spiriting senior officials away to austere and hardened command and control facilities , often located deep underground, so they can continue to perform essential tasks during major crises. There are a number of U.S. military helicopter units in and around the nation’s capital, which you can read about in more detail in this past War Zone piece , which are tasked with these types of missions.

Whatever the case, CBP’s three S-76Bs are certainly an intriguing, if oddly murky component of the agency’s aviation capabilities. Their unmarked paint schemes and vague disclosed mission set only add to the mystery surrounding the trio of unique airframes.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com

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作者：约瑟夫·特雷维西克

更新于美国东部时间2020年4月23日下午5:51

美国海关与边境保护局的空中与海上行动处（AMO）拥有美国联邦政府机构中除美军以外规模最大的空中力量之一，其规模经常与国务院庞大的航空联队争夺榜首位置。AMO拥有种类繁多的固定翼飞机和直升机，以及“死神”无人机，除一支规模较小且神秘的三架西科斯基S-76B直升机机队外，其他所有机型的信息都比较容易获取。

美国空军航空管理办公室（AMO）以及海关与边境保护局（CBP）对这三架S-76B直升机都守口如瓶。根据美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的记录，CBP隶属于美国国土安全部，这三架直升机的美国民用注册号分别为N159CM、N269FL和N844LC，于2012年注册。它们都采用与AMO其他飞机不同的低调的黑灰色涂装，除了注册号之外没有任何其他标记。

西科斯基公司于20世纪70年代末首次推出双引擎S-76系列飞机，并在80年代末开始生产S-76B型。S-76B型是在该公司最初推出的S-76 Mk II型的基础上发展而来，后者配备了动力更强劲的发动机、改进的航空电子设备以及其他升级，使其具备了真正的全天候飞行能力。AMO公司的所有S-76B型飞机均产于1987年，即该型号飞机上市的第一年。

西科斯基公司至今仍在生产新型S-76直升机，该系列产品非常成功，迄今为止总产量已超过1000架。其各种型号的直升机在全球各地的军队、执法机构以及商业和民用运营商中服役。它是VIP专机的首选，服务对象包括企业高管、名人、国家元首甚至皇室成员。英国女王伊丽莎白二世及其他皇室成员的专属直升机飞行队就拥有一架定制的S-76C++型直升机。今年早些时候，科比·布莱恩特、他的女儿吉安娜以及其他七人乘坐的S-76B直升机坠毁，机上人员全部遇难。

西科斯基 S-76B。伊丽莎白·克里梅施 (Elisabeth Klimesch) 来自维基媒体

美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）关于西科斯基S-76直升机的官方简介中写道：“西科斯基S-76直升机是一种中程战术抓捕飞机，由CBP空中与海上行动部门（AMO）使用，用于保护美国公众免受恐怖主义和毒品走私的威胁，并维护关键场所的空域安全。它们是中型通用直升机，可以搭载多名人员和设备执行各种执法行动，而不会牺牲航程或速度。”

这与美国海关与边境保护局 (CBP) 对美国空军作战司令部 (AMO) 的西科斯基 UH-60 黑鹰直升机和贝尔 UH-1N 双休伊直升机的功能描述类似。“中程”这一描述将所有这些直升机与其旋翼机队的其他机型区分开来，后者还包括航程较短的空客 AS350 A-Star、空客 EC120 和贝尔休伊 II 直升机。

然而，“战术抓捕飞机”这一描述立刻令人感到疑惑。S-76B 明显缺少任何可见的传感器炮塔，例如配备可见光和红外摄像机或探照灯的装置，而这些装置在美国乃至世界各地执行“战术”执法任务的直升机上都是常见的配置，包括美国空军作战司令部（AMO）自己的 UH-60 和 UH-1N 直升机。

美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）的一架UH-60黑鹰直升机，采用了更为典型的执法配置，包括机头下方的传感器转塔和安装在直升机右侧起落架支柱前方的探照灯。

S-76B直升机的尾梁上方和下方确实安装了一些非标准天线，这些天线通常与高频无线电和其他通信系统相关。2017年，《旋翼与机翼国际》杂志刊登了对美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）空中拦截特工威尔·萨格斯的采访，其中附有一张他站在一架S-76B直升机旁的照片。文章指出，“萨格斯同时也是一名技术通信官。”

美国海关与边境保护局 (CBP) 发布的 S-76B 情况说明书列出了该直升机的显著特点，包括卫星通信能力、夜视驾驶舱以及可容纳八名乘客。

美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）关于其三辆S-76巡逻车的官方情况说明书的内容。

这三架直升机的照片都显示，它们的座舱窗户似乎都贴有有色玻璃，而且至少有一张照片显示，注册号为N269FL的直升机主座舱内装有遮阳帘。所有这些特征都更像是用于VIP运输或其他特殊支援任务的直升机的典型配置。

美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）公共事务办公室多次拒绝提供关于AMO S-76B直升机角色和任务的更多细节，仅提供了在线情况说明书中的内容。该机构发言人在回答有关这些直升机的问题时，向《战区》杂志笼统地表示：“AMO经常执行应急行动和国家任务，包括救灾、人道主义援助和高规格安保活动，因此可能存在许多边境安全范围之外的‘次要任务’。”

VIP 专机运输或其他特殊任务符合以下事实：所有 S-76B 直升机目前均隶属于美国空军作战司令部（AMO）的国家首都地区航空分部，也称为马纳萨斯航空分部，其总部位于弗吉尼亚州同名城市马纳萨斯的马纳萨斯地区机场。该机场位于华盛顿特区市中心西南方向不到 30 英里处。截至 2017 年，该分部还在纽约州的普拉茨堡和纽约市以及缅因州的霍尔顿设有地理位置不同的分遣队。

在这张2016年拍摄的马纳萨斯地区机场美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）设施的卫星图像中，可以看到两架CBP的S-76B飞机位于图像底部。同样位于该机场的极光飞行科学公司（Aurora Flight Sciences）的运营基地位于图像上方的机库内，其高空长航时猎户座无人机则停放在机库前方。（图片来源：谷歌地球）

据美国海关与边境保护局网站介绍，“马纳萨斯航空分局负责执行被指定为国家特别安全事件或获得特别事件评估评级的活动的安保任务。它还负责为联邦、州和地方执法机构执行空中监视任务。”

美国联邦政府通常会将任何可能成为恐怖分子或其他不法分子目标的大型国家级集会指定为国家特别安全事件，或对其进行特别事件评估评级。这些事件涵盖范围广泛，从国情咨文等大型政府集会，到共和党和民主党在总统选举年举行的全国代表大会，再到超级碗等全国性体育赛事。相关的安全评估将为这些事件的后续规划提供支持，包括部署固定翼飞机和直升机，以及快速反应小组，以便应对任何危机，并在必要时保护重要人物并将其从危险环境中撤离。

一张低质量照片显示，2016年，马纳萨斯航空分局的一架AS350直升机飞越费城富国银行中心上空。当时，该中心正在举办民主党全国代表大会，这是一项被指定为国家特别安全事件的活动。（美国海关与边境保护局）

2015年，在教皇方济各访问费城期间，两架注册号分别为N159CM和N844LC的美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）S-76B型飞机被发现在宾夕法尼亚州惠特潘镇的Wings机场。惠特潘镇位于费城西北约15英里处。教皇的这次访问无疑符合“特殊事件评估评级”（Special Event Assessment Rating）的定义。

还有迹象表明，S-76B 会在华盛顿特区上空及周边空域进行一般巡逻或其他例行飞行。航空周刊的国防编辑兼《战区》的好友史蒂夫·特林布尔本月早些时候使用在线飞行跟踪软件发现 N844LC 在弗吉尼亚州北部盘旋了一段时间。

美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）发言人就此次航班向《战区》网站表示：“在首都地区看到美国空军航空分局（AMO）的飞机执行任务并不罕见，这架飞机很可能来自马纳萨斯空军分局，因为该地区完全在马纳萨斯分局的管辖范围内。AMO无法提供有关此次航班的具体信息，因为我们的机组人员经常与联邦、州、地方和部落合作伙伴共同执行任务，具体细节属于执法敏感信息。”

鉴于国家首都地区航空分局的“空中监视任务”，S-76B 直升机也可能具备某种形式的隐蔽监视能力，例如携带模拟手机信号塔的设备。这些设备可以根据具体型号，通过手机信号定位个人，甚至收集通话的元数据或音频。这些设备通常被称为“dirtbox”或“stingray”，分别指代制造商 DRT 和 L3Harris 旗下的一个产品品牌。据悉，美国海关与边境保护局 (CBP) 也使用这些设备。

与此同时，至少有一架AS350直升机常驻国家首都地区航空分部，其他具备公开空中监视能力的AMO直升机也已知在大华盛顿特区及其下属分部管辖范围内的其他地区活动。S-76B直升机很可能主要用于日常运送美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）和国土安全部的重要人物，以及各联邦机构的重要访客，同时兼具有限的监视任务能力。

S-76B直升机可能还会承担在华盛顿特区周边地区运送美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）和国土安全部重要官员以及联邦机构重要访客的任务。这些直升机也可能在一定程度上被纳入美国政府的“政府连续性计划”，该计划包括在重大危机期间将高级官员迅速转移到简陋且坚固的指挥控制设施（通常位于地下深处）的程序，以便他们能够继续执行关键任务。美国首都及其周边地区部署了多个美军直升机部队，您可以在之前的“战区”文章中了解更多详情，这些部队负责执行此类任务。

无论如何，美国海关与边境保护局（CBP）的三架S-76B飞机无疑是该机构航空能力中一个引人入胜却又扑朔迷离的组成部分。它们没有标识的涂装和模糊不清的任务说明，更增添了这三架独特飞机的神秘感。

联系作者：joe@thedrive.com

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