Japan Coast Guard has deployed a Falcon 2000MSA aircraft (JA574A) to Singapore and Indonesia for anti-piracy operations, which is taking place from 3-6 December 2023.

Piracy and armed robbery continues to be of concern in the Singapore Strait. According to IMB; 99 incidents were reported from January to September 2023, compared to 90 from the same period in 2022.

During the deployment, Japan Coast Guard hopes to “strengthen collaboration and cooperation with local coast guard agencies through knowledge exchanges and training flights”. These are efforts to “deal with maritime crimes together as coastal countries”.

The Falcon 2000MSA (Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft) is based off Dassault’s Falcon 2000 LXS airframe. Ordered in 2015 and delivered from 2019, six are in operation. As with tradition for Japan Coast Guard, nicknames were chosen with public input and hand painted on the nose of the aircraft: Chiyurataka (Beautiful Falcon; Japanese: ちゅらたか) for the first three, Wakataka (Young Hawk; Japanese: わかたか) for the last three.