Queensland’s POLAIR to receive new Bell 429s

The Australian state of Queensland has announced that it plans to acquire a new fleet of three new Bell 429 helicopters on behalf of the Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) POLAIR unit.

The aircraft will replace a pair of existing helicopters – a Bell 206 acquired in 2012 and an MBB Bo105, acquired in 2014 – and will be used for operations across the southeast of the state.

The aircraft are scheduled to join POLAIR from July 2024 under a 10-year contract, which will also include the provision of Australia’s first Bell 429 training simulator.

The simulator, which will initially be for the exclusive use of QPS POLAIR pilots, will be used to supplement training requirements to reduce training time in aircraft – saving operating costs and freeing up aircraft for missions.

Vast improvements to safety, technology and night vision capability

In a statement, the Queensland government said that the new aircraft are expected to offer ‘vastly improved safety, technology, cameras and night vision capability’, and the addition of a third aircraft ‘will mean increased operational capacity for the police’.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new helicopters were part of a new long-term contract with Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) to operate vital POLAIR aerial capabilities through to 2034.

“The new arrangement, which begins at the conclusion of the current contract with SLSQ in 2024, means long-term security for the operation of the helicopters that play a critical role in supporting the efforts of police on the ground to keep the community safe,” he said.

Queensland to trial remotely piloted aircraft in northern Queensland

In addition, the Queensland government has also announced that it plans to invest nearly a million Australian dollars on a 12-month trial of remotely piloted aircraft for use in the cities of Townsville and Cairns.

The drones will feature thermal imaging cameras equipped with artificial intelligence object recognition software capable of tracking vehicles, and will be used primarily for static situations such as sieges, searches for missing people, intelligence operations and disaster management.

However, the technology will not be used for high-speed activities, confirmed QPS Chief Remote Pilot Sergeant Mark Gamber: “We don't use drones for car chases. Chasing cars beyond visual line of sight is beyond the capability and the legislative capability of these drones. We can provide situational awareness to troops on the ground about direction of travel.”

The Bell 429 surpassed 500,000 global fleet hours across all vehicles sold in January 2022.