“The Baltimore Police Department’s commitment
to the EC120 showcases the appeal of the platform in the airborne law
enforcement community,” said Treg Manning, American Eurocopter
Vice President of Sales. “The department’s current fleet
of 120’s have provided crucial support for its airborne law enforcement
missions and have shown the durability of this airframe.”
“The reasons we chose the EC120 to upgrade our fleet are the same
reasons we chose the EC120s in the first place,” according to
Lieutenant Don Bauer, Aviation Commander for the Baltimore Police Department.
“It is always reliable. It’s fuel efficient and quiet. Out
of all the aircraft we evaluated, nothing beats the EC120 for our department
and our missions.”
The EC120 is a workhorse
for the Baltimore Police Department. It utilizes the EC120s for airborne
law enforcement missions that include patrol and support as well as
Homeland Security missions. Its current fleet of EC120s were purchased
in 2000 and in July 2010, the department had the first EC120 in the
world to reach 10,000 flight hours. The Baltimore PD fleet now has more
than 35,000 flight hours.
In addition to the
aircraft’s performance and reliability, Bauer explains that the
service and support provided by American Eurocopter was another selling
point. “We have almost a 12-year relationship with American Eurocopter.
Their commitment to supporting our aircraft and our department has helped
us keep our aircraft in the air and performing our missions. It made
our decision even easier.”
The new EC120’s
will be completed at American Eurocopter’s Grand Prairie, TX facility
and will include advanced avionics and mission equipment, including
thermal imager, searchlight, moving map, and video downlink systems.
Baltimore PD’s EC120’s will have both front seat and rear
seat consoles for Tactical Flight Officers, which are being custom-designed
by AE.
The EC120 delivers
excellent maneuverability, a wide unobstructed cabin, excellent visibility
and, with the new generation Fenestron® tail rotor, it provides
one of the most environmentally conscious sound signatures in its class.
The aircraft is powered by a fuel-efficient Turbomeca ARRIUS 2F engine
and equipped with advanced technologies, like the cockpit’s Vehicle
and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD), that decrease pilot workload.
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