In a bid to ramp up security and ensure prompt response to emergencies, the City Council has given the green light for the Police Department to splash out over $3.9 million on a new Bell 505 whirlybird. The big-ticket purchase was approved on Tuesday evening, as the department looks to rejuvenate its aging Air Support Unit fleet, according to the City of Fort Worth.
Flying in with a base price tag of $2,062,242, the copter will be decked out with an additional $1,896,049 of police mission equipment by CNC Technologies. The updated chopper is set to join an existing but solitary, yet often maintenance-ridden aircraft known as "Air1". That chopper's wings were clipped for 59 days between May and December 2023, due to maintenance issues, limiting its availability for more than 250 missions.
Officials argue the new acquisition is crucial. The helicopter's eyes in the sky are vital for a range of operations, from tracking down missing persons to aiding the Fire Department during infernos, all in the name of preserving the safety and well-being of residents and public safety personnel.
Historically hosting at least two choppers, the Air Support Unit's numbers dwindled following the retirement of two old-timers, transferring the full weight of aerial operations onto "Air1". Once the pride of the fleet, "Air1" is looking down the barrel of another intensive maintenance session in the next year and a half that will ground it for another month, at a minimum.
