Queensland Police Service to add three Bell 429s

Bell Textron announced at the Avalon Australian International Airshow that the Queensland Police Service (QPS) has entered into a second service provision contract for QPS POLAIR services for three additional Bell 429s. This will expand the number of Bell helicopters in its current fleet to six.

In 2022, contract provider Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) signed for three Bell 429s to operate the QPS POLAIR fleet, which is responsible for patrolling and supporting on-ground policing efforts in southeast Queensland. The aircraft will be equipped with night vision capabilities and cameras.

The new batch of Bell 429s is part of a POLAIR service provision contract between QPS and Townsville-based Meridian Helicopters, which will provide a similar airborne law enforcement capability in north Queensland for the next 10 years.

Bell 429 users include the New South Wales Police Force, New Zealand Police, Canadian Coast Guard, Indonesia National Police, New York Police Department, Royal Thai Police, and Swedish National Police. Over 500 Bell 429s operate worldwide, with over 735 000 flight hours accumulated.

(article source: Bell Textron / editor: Anton van Rijsbergen)
(image source: photo by Kana Photography and Surf Life Saving Queensland, via Bell Textron)