Press Release

Issued by Bell, a Textron Company.

November 25, 2021

From the world's first police helicopter placed into service in 1948 to an ever-expanding role in public safety missions throughout the world, Bell's commitment has been unwavering to product performance, service and support offerings.

In Europe, the Bell 429 equipped with ESG's mission management system is the definitive platform for public safety missions. For these missions, the 429 can be equipped with specialized equipment including an infrared camera, searchlight, removeable and sliding doors, wire strike protection system, optional auxiliary fuel tank, fast rope insertion/extraction system and an equipment operator station with two 17” HD displays. The twin-engine aircraft is already in use with several European law enforcement customers, including the Swedish National Police (SNP), Slovakian Police and Turkish National Police.

For the SNP, its Air Support Division has its aircraft available 24/7 in case of any emergency. They work alongside alpine rescue services and navigate mountain ranges to save trapped or injured individuals, while also performing a number of law enforcement to protect their communities.

“Since our fleet of 429s entered service over five years ago, we've seen first-hand just how advanced and versatile this platform is,” said Dick Johansson, police air commander, Swedish National Police. “With the Bell 429, we have a very capable aircraft that ideally suits the demands of our operations, but one that's backed-up by outstanding reliability and an unrivalled support network. We were confident the 429 would be the best solution for our force, and our experience with the aircraft over the last five years has proved that this is the case.”

In 2020, Bell announced its collaboration agreement with ESG to install its mission management system in a Bell 429 as a law enforcement demonstrator. The new demonstrator will be used to showcase the aircraft's capabilities to the police and military markets in Europe and across the globe, and made its first public debut at European Rotors in Cologne, Germany.

“We are very happy to unveil the Bell 429 demonstrator with ESG´s mission management system at European Rotors and providing law enforcement demonstrations around the continent in the upcoming months,” said Thomas Buck, head of ESG´s helicopter division. “This is a class-leading platform, which we are confident will appeal to European, and global, law enforcement customers.”

Known for its spacious and easily configurable cabin, which is bigger than any other twin helicopter, the Bell 429 holds almost 500,000 proven flight hours in vastly different terrains and climates.