Interest Surging in Small Helicopter Platforms
Helicopters North America. “That accounts for about half of the total in-service fleet in the region, so for every two police helicopters flying, one of them is an Airbus H125.”
Meanwhile, the MD 530F is finding a new home in local law enforcement, having already gained a place at the federal level. The latest version includes a glass cockpit and a max gross takeoff weight that has been increased from 3,100 to 3,300 pounds thanks to extensive R&D. “Having this extra payload capacity
helps law
enforcement immensely in
being able to upgrade and add equipment as needed for their missions,” said Jason Lindauer, MD Helicopters’ commercial sales director.
No discussion of small LE helicopters can take place without mentioning Robinson’s R44 Raven II Police Helicopter & R66 Turbine Police Helicopter, both of which come in special police configurations. “Our newest R66 Police Helicopter is available with state-of-the-art features such as a WESCAM MX-10 EO/IR camera with an HD Infrared Sensor, Spectrolab SX-7 searchlight, and AeroComputers moving map system, which works in conjunction with the MX-10,” said Robinson Helicopter’s Monica Campos. “We also offer a touch-screen GPS system and autopilot, providing all of the sophisticated features today’s police need in an economical and reliable aerial platform.
“We’re one of the few manufacturers providing a turnkey, fully integrated police package,” Campos added. “Everything is installed in-house, providing the customer with a one-stop shop for all LE installations and reducing the time it takes to become fully operational.”
Many kinds of helicopters are configured for and employed in law enforcement aviation, from the large-capacity Sikorsky S-70/UH-60 Black Hawk down to the Robinson R44/R66.
According to APSA’s Schwarzbach, the buzz among his members these days is about small single-engine helicopters like the Airbus H125, Bell 505, and MD Helicopters’ MD 530F. These platforms have the engine power to support a range of mission profiles in an economical package, he said, which is exactly what today’s police departments are looking for.
“This multi-mission aircraft technology is perhaps most evident in long-light single and larger aircraft, but this trend has increased its availability in smaller aircraft as well,” said Terry Miyauchi, Bell’s para-public customer solutions manager and a former Arizona Department of Public Safety aviation commander. “The Bell 505 aircraft is a good example of this. It not only provides an ideal patrol platform, but also has a growing number of operators conducting expanded multi-mission trends.”
This preference for small rotorcraft is paying off for Bell and has already paid off for Airbus. “In fact, the Airbus H125 is the helicopter of choice for the airborne law enforcement mission, with 270 of them flying in North America alone,” said Erin Callender, head of communications for Airbus
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