San Diego to buy new firefighting helicopter
The city of San Diego, in the US state of California, is looking to spend $21 million on the purchase of a new firefighting helicopter
The new helicopter – a Bell 412EPX – will replace a 43-year-old helicopter removed from service in July 2023 as a result of structural cracking.
The acquisition will bring San Diego’s aerial firefighting fleet back up to three rotorcraft, increasing the flexibility and reliability of the city’s firefighting response. The two other aircraft are a Sikorsky S70i and a Bell 412EP.
City officials also announced that they’ve secured nearly all approvals needed to build a 3,066m2 hangar for the aerial firefighting fleet at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa.
According to a report by the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, all approvals should be acquired within the next six months.
Construction of the hangar has been delayed by various approvals from the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department also recently acquired two new helicopters – a Bell 412EPX and a Bell 407GXi.
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.