At this year’s International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) convention in Chicago, American Eurocopter will be prominently displaying an EC120 from Lake County Sheriff’s Department (Indiana). The aircraft will be featured on American Eurocopter’s booth #871.

Lake County purchased the EC120 to rejuvenate its fleet of aging military surplus helicopters with the most modern helicopter equipped with the best mission equipment available. “The EC120 is the ideal replacement for military surplus helicopters,” says Ed Van Winkle, Law Enforcement Market Manager for American Eurocopter. “It is known for its excellent maneuverability and its quiet Fenestron tail rotor, which are both distinct advantages for airborne law enforcement applications.”

The EC120 is the leading light single-engine helicopter in airborne law enforcement, a distinction it has held for the past 10 years. The aircraft has has defined itself as a cost-effective yet capable platform for airborne law enforcement patrol and other Homeland Security missions. The decision by the Baltimore Police Department to purchase four (4) new EC120’s to replace its existing fleet of EC120’s demonstrates the on-going reliability of this platform.

In addition to the EC120, Eurocopter’s AStar family of helicopters has made a name for itself as the standard in airborne law enforcement for medium single-engine helicopters. With its reliable, high performance platform, the AStar has been proven throughout the U.S. law enforcement community in service with agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, California Highway Patrol and many other federal, state and local agencies. There are now more than 200 AStars in law enforcement roles in the United States and the recent purchase of an AS350 B3e by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (AZ) further emphasizes the multi-mission capabilities of the AStar for airborne law enforcement applications.

American Eurocopter will also highlight new flight training solutions at this year’s IACP Conference, including the new Inadvertent Instrument Flight Procedures Training Course 101. This course provides tools to help pilots avoid unplanned flight into bad weather conditions. The flight instruction takes place in American Eurocopter’s AS350 Flight & Mission Training Simulator. For more information on industry-leading helicopters and training solutions, stop by American Eurocopter’s IACP booth #871.

About American Eurocopter

American Eurocopter is the U.S. affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer and markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer. The product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. American Eurocopter’s headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, TX, with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, MS.