Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), today announced that the City of Dallas has placed an order for a three new Bell helicopters for use by its Police Department.  The three helicopters will replace the aging existing fleet of aircraft the Police Department has been operating over the past twenty years.  The three aircraft will be used for aerial law enforcement missions throughout the City of Dallas, flying an average of 2400 hours a year.

Commenting on the order, Sergeant Don Crum, of the Dallas Police Helicopter Unit said, “Performance, reliability, quality of training and product support are critical elements in selecting an aircraft for airborne law enforcement units.  ALL of these were found in the Bell products and is our reason for choosing them.”

Bell Helicopter Director of Homeland Security, Paul Pitts, commenting on the order said, “Orders like this go beyond making a sale.  Everyone at Bell Helicopter is proud to be able to provide products like the 206B3 and the 407 to help the professionals in law enforcement like the Dallas Police Department safely complete their missions.  Bell Helicopter has a long and rich heritage of providing quality products and customer service to law enforcement other first responders.  We are all committed to this going forward.  Supporting these missions is about helping people and that’s the real benefit of vertical lift aircraft.”

The Bell 407 is the fastest selling helicopter in its class with more than 650 in service today.  Introduced in 1996, the Bell 407 has a larger cabin and added power and speed and offers the department additional capabilities for specialized missions.  Selected by law enforcement agencies around the world, the Bell 407 is known for its reliability, agility and speed, all important aspects in the law enforcement mission.

With over 5,000 JetRangers built since its introduction in 1968, the 206 series has proven to be one of the most popular helicopters for use in law enforcement.  Operating with police forces around the world these reliable aircraft has logged over 40 million flying hours over the years providing airborne police protection 24/7.

Bell Helicopter provided the first helicopter ever used for law enforcement to the City of New York in 1948.  Today some of the most sophisticated airborne law enforcement aircraft in the world are produced and equipped by Bell Helicopter.

Source: Bell Helicopter
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