News
MD Helicopters receives police orders
March 5, 2012 By Carey Fredericks
March 5, 2012, Mesa, Az. - MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) has announced that the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners has approved the purchase of three MD 500E helicopters for use by the Police Patrol Support Unit for airborne law enforcement.
The selection of MD Helicopters was made after a six month RFP process, which included proposal review and product demonstration by four vendors.
The Kansas City Police Department was one of the first law enforcement agencies to implement the concept of airborne helicopter patrol in the early 1970s using the Hughes 300 helicopter. The decision to upgrade the fleet to a state-of-the-art helicopter was made after years of successful operation using the OH-6 military surplus aircraft. The speed, agility, performance, low acquisition and operating cost of the MD 500E made it the aircraft of choice for the mission. The new aircraft will include an infrared camera, video downlink, NVG compatibility, high powered searchlight and a mapping system from selected vendors.
MD Helicopters is proud of the breadth of its law enforcement customer base. Its history and legacy is built upon serving municipal and military markets. We are so pleased that the Kansas City Police Department has again chosen the MD aircraft as the best value proposition to meet its mission, said Lynn Tilton, CEO of MDHI.
MD Helicopters, Inc. has announced that the City of Columbus, Ohio has ordered an MD 500E for delivery in 2012 and an option for a second aircraft to be delivered in 2013. This purchase represents the thirteenth and fourteenth MD 500E in active service in accordance with a continuous fleet renewal program. Established in 1997, the oldest aircraft in the fleet is replaced by a new one on a planned total time and/or age schedule.
The speed, agility, reliability and proven low operating cost of the MD 500E are keys to success of the Air Section. The Police Air Section operates five MD 500E aircraft with the quiet, four-bladed tail rotor 800-1000 hours per year per aircraft. The Aviation Section patrols 250 square miles during a planned 16 hour per day schedule. Since operation of the MD 500E began, the Air Section has accumulated over 60,000 flight hours.
Lynn Tilton, CEO of MD Helicopters says, “We are honored to partner with the Columbus Police as they continue to set the standard for law enforcement in America. We appreciate their loyalty to our Company and commitment to our products.”
