Columbus, Ohio, to acquire two new Bell 505 police helicopters
The new aircraft are due for delivery in December, and will be partially funded by the sale of one of the city’s older MD 530F helicopters
The city council of Columbus, Ohio, has approved US$6 million in funding to support the purchase of two new Bell 505 police helicopters.
The aircraft will be used to upgrade and expand the Columbus Division of Police’s aging helicopter fleet to five helicopters, and will arrive fully configured for law enforcement missions.
The force currently operates a fleet of four MD 530F helicopters – one of which will be sold to support the purchase of the new rotorcraft. The new Bell 505s are due to be delivered in December this year, and are expected to improve operations and reduce operational costs, including for maintenance.
The aircraft will be the first helicopters purchased for police in Columbus since an abortive attempt in 2020, when the city bought a Bell 407GXi for $3.4 million. That aircraft did not come equipped with the necessary equipment for police operations, and was not compatible with existing equipment used on the MD 530Fs. Despite the approval of funds to properly configure the Bell 407GXi for law enforcement in 2021, the aircraft was ultimately sold the following year.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. 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.