The Airborne Public Safety Conference (APSCON), to be held from July 9 to 11 in Louisville, Kentucky, will mark the site for the debut of Kopter’s SH09 multi-mission helicopter in an advanced public safety configuration engineered for Kopter by Metro Aviation in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Known primarily for its expertise in air-medical completions, Metro Aviation has expanded its proficiency in the design, production and completion of police helicopters. Metro Aviation now offers some of the most comprehensive and advanced mission packages available to the industry.
Kopter’s SH09 law enforcement display will also be fitted and equipped with cutting-edge surveillance and illumination capability in the TRAKKA Systems A800 multispectral, state-of-the-art, high-speed searchlight; the TC-300 4-axis, gyro-stabilized multispectral imaging system; and the TM-100 latest generation of 3D augmented reality mapping and recording system.
When combined with a loiter capability of over four hours and aided by a fully enclosed tail rotor, these systems will offer a powerful, stealthy and mission-capable platform ideal for extended surveillance, radical pursuits and reliable air-to-ground operations support over extended crime scenes.
Further confirming the SH09’s robust capability, Kopter will also display the new Garmin-3000H, IFR-capable avionics and electronics deck, featuring access to VFR/IFR helicopter charts including WAAS/SBAS, ILS approach capability, synthetic vision technology as well as Connext wireless integration. The advantages of the Garmin system results in new latitudes of safety through the tremendous upgrade to pilot situational awareness.
The sum of all these capabilities combined with the SH09’s large cabin volume, wide range of visibility, power, endurance, speed and reliability results in the most comprehensive airborne package ever made available to airborne law enforcement in North America. The SH09 makes all this possible in a single-engine helicopter with the cabin volume, equipment and options otherwise mostly found on twin-engine aircraft, and does it for the acquisition and operational costs of a single-engine turbine helicopter.
President of Kopter North America LLC in charge of sales, marketing and customer support, Larry Roberts, commented, “I started my career as an officer flying police helicopters, and I’ve had the honor to serve and work closely with many airborne law enforcement programs throughout the country.
“To me the SH09 represents the perfect combination of all the needs and desires of a multi-mission helicopter, allowing our airborne first responders to best serve their respective communities. I look forward to working with those agencies for the operational launch of the SH09 in their respective jurisdictions.”
