Atlanta to acquire new police helicopters
The city council of Atlanta, Georgia, has approved the purchase of two new police helicopters, and the upgrading of a third
The purchases – for two MD 530F helicopters, as well as for the refurbishment of an MD500E helicopter built in 2001 – were approved by the council to Monday 21 November, according to a report by Fox 5 Atlanta. They have now been sent to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to be signed off.
The acquisitions, covering all three aircraft and all necessary equipment, is expected to total just over US$10.4 million.
The decision was prompted by a briefing from the Atlanta Police Department’s Chief Administrative Officer, Peter Aman, who highlighted to the council that the helicopters were available to purchase following the cancellation of an order.
Currently, the Atlanta Police aviation unit operates a fleet of rotorcraft that is nearly 50 years old, and is composed of units from three separate manufacturers. In addition to lowering the age of the helicopter fleet, the acquisitions will also standardize the fleet under a single manufacturer – reducing maintenance costs and timescales.
Elsewhere, the police department of Columbus, Ohio announced that it was looking to sell a Bell 407GXi helicopter approved for purchase in November 2019, which has never seen active use.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.