Eurocopter awarded orders for 12 AS350B2 Helicopters from LAPD

American Eurocopter announced today that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has purchased 12 AS350 B2 helicopters. The helicopters will be placed into service with the department's Aero Bureau as part of an upgrade plan for its current fleet. The order also has provisions for options that would allow the department to add two additional helicopters in the future to meet the deployment levels needed to help ensure the safety of department personnel and the surrounding community. “This order confirms the AS350 as the helicopter of choice for law enforcement agencies throughout the United States,” said Marc Paganini, President and CEO of American Eurocopter. “LA County Sheriff’s Department’s new fleet of AS350 B2s will certainly set the standard as the most technologically advanced helicopters in law enforcement.” The Aero Bureau’s current fleet of 12 AS350 B2s has been serving the county since 2003. The purchase of these new helicopters will allow the Aero Bureau to update its fleet to the latest technology offering the performance and reliability to meet the department’s expanding mission scope. “Our law enforcement role throughout the county has increased. To get to where we need to be to protect our citizens and perform our missions, our mission equipment needed to be replaced,” explained Captain Louis Duran, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Aero Bureau. The department has a strong track record with the AS350 B2 helicopters. “We have a familiarity with the AS350 B2. We know the strength of its performance and its maintenance. The AS350 B2 has exceeded our mission profile and it just made sense to upgrade to new helicopters,” continued Duran. He also explained that with these new helicopters the department’s capabilities will be enhanced with night vision, laser pointing, advanced mapping and tracking, as well other technologies that will be added during the completion of the helicopters. The AS350 – AStar has become the reference for law enforcement missions in the United States. It is equipped with a powerful, yet economical 732 shp Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine, with room for six plus pilot and a sling capacity of more than 2,555 lbs. The AS350 is uniquely adaptable for the full range of law enforcement missions from special operations to emergency medevacs.