Australia’s Government Aircraft Factories began work on a combination military and civil transport in the late 1960s. The prototype flew in 1970 and production began two years later. Eventually named Nomad the twin-engine turboprop aircraft served as a light cargo and passenger carrier with the Australian military and for several small Pacific nations. The N22S version was introduced in 1979. This version, called Searchmaster, is designed for aerial reconnaissance and surveillance and mounts a radar under the nose. They were primarily used by Indonesia for maritime reconnaissance, but several were also purchased by the U.S. Customs Service for border patrol duties. A total of 170 aircraft were built by 1984 when production ended.
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