The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has announced the selection of Cobham to supply Synthetic Vision Electronic Flight Instrument Systems (EFIS) for their fleet of Eurocopter and Bell helicopters.

LAPD is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement operation in the world and serves a population base of four million.  Operating a fleet of nineteen patrol helicopters in the nation’s second largest city, Air Support Division is a lifesaving, twenty-four hour, seven-day a week force multiplier.

Cobham’s fully-digital EFIS delivers superior precision and increased reliability for higher dispatch rates, lower operating costs, and reduced equipment maintenance expenses.  The displays’ lighter weight enables enhanced payload capabilities.  Synthetic Vision reduces pilot workload and fatigue for more confident command and control, and Cobham’s field-updatable software allows new functionalities to be installed without replacing hardware components.

The LAPD rotorcraft will be retrofitted with Cobham’s two-screen EFIS system, including: Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD), GPS Receiver, integral Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS), and integral Flight Management System (FMS).  Cobham’s EFIS is night vision goggle-compatible and will integrate with the HeliSAS® Autopilot and Stability Augmentation System, certification for which is expected in early 2011.

According to LAPD, ease of equipment installation, a proven track record of equipment performance in helicopters, company ownership of STC’s, certification in both VEMD and NON-VEMD aircraft, and a commitment to customer service were all taken into consideration.  The Los Angeles Police Department has selected Cobham and is moving forward with the integration of the new systems.

Responding to more than forty-six thousand police incidents per year while logging over seventeen thousand flight hours annually demands reliable equipment and a strong customer support commitment, the LAPD said.  Mission demands dictate that LAPD aircraft remain on the cutting edge of technology providing improved mission readiness while ensuring enhanced situational awareness and safety.