On July 19, a brand new EC135 P2i was handed over to Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Sharon Rowe, on the EADS/Eurocopter booth No. G12 in Hall 4 at the Farnborough International Air Show. The order for this aircraft had been placed in September 2009.

Markus Steinke, Managing Director of Eurocopter UK Ltd., stated, “I am very proud that West Midlands Police has again opted for the EC135, having had its former helicopter destroyed by arson last year. We had been able to deliver a police-configured interim EC135 right after the incident to keep our customer flying, and are pleased to hand over the new one today, less than one year after the order was signed. Our products and services have become the backbone of UK air support since many decades and we are ready to accompany the evolutions of our customers’ needs.”

The EC135 is the prime choice of UK police air support units. It has become an outstanding product created in an intensive dialogue with the end user and based on Eurocopter’s

• long experience in police mission system design and integration
• deep understanding of the helicopter platform
• many years of in-service feedback.

Eurocopter products represent 75% of the UK police helicopter fleet in service and have proven to be the favourite solutions for police air support all across Europe and worldwide. In 2010, a total of six police helicopters are being delivered by Eurocopter UK to police services in the British Isles.

In order to optimize its service to the UK police forces, Eurocopter UK has introduced a new maintenance concept, separating the high-time, high-utilisation, high-tech police helicopters from the VIP/corporate maintenance section in the company. Fast turn-around times and optimal, specialized service for the individual needs of each customer group are the aim of this new arrangement. Eurocopter UK also provides full PbH and engines fleet management to the air support units.

Source: EADS