Airbus Helicopters have delivered the first of five H125s to the Phoenix Police Air Support Unit. The aircraft which feature are intended as replacements for the Unit’s aging fleet of AS350 B3s which it acquired in 2005. Critically for Phoenix’s hot climate and mountainous surroundings, the new aircraft the recently certified VEMD upgrade, which delivers a 10 percent power increase to the Safran Arriel 2D engine.
In the front office the aircraft sport Garmin’s 10.6-inch touchscreen G600TXI GDU coupled with GTN 650Xi, with Bluetooth capability. Meanwhile, the law enforcement suite sports a 17-inch Macro-Blue touchscreen, which serves a dual purpose as a digital mapping platform for the AeroComputers UC-6000, and for viewing the images from the Wescam MX-10 multi-sensor system. Illumination of ground targets is provided by the 40 million candlepower Spectrolab SX-16 Nightsun searchlight. Communications are through a Technisonic TDFM-9000 multi-band radio head.
Commenting on the order Paul Apolinar, chief pilot at Phoenix Police Department. “We spent a lot of time analysing which platform would best fit all of our operational needs as we began to renew our fleet, and the H125 met all of our requirements. Our responsibility is to protect and serve the Phoenix community, and these aircraft will allow us not only to protect from the skies, but to perform rescues in remote locations all over Arizona. We needed an aircraft that excels in hot temperatures, and the H125 is really the best aircraft for the job in such conditions.”
The second aircraft in the order is expected at the unit’s Deer Valley Airport HQ by the end of the month with the remaining three expected within the next 12 months.
