Florida-based Volusia County Sheriff's Aviation Unit has signed a purchase agreement for two Bell 407GXi helicopters. This makes a total of five Bell 407 aircraft to serve in multi-mission special operations in the fleet of the Aviation Unit, which is also known by its call sign Air One.

“For more than 20 years, Air One has relied on the Bell 407 to complete life-saving missions in Volusia and other neighbouring counties,” says special services law enforcement operations division captain Richard Fortin. “The Bell 407GXi was Air One's choice aircraft when looking at growing our fleet and expanding our mission efficiency.”

From DeLand Municipal airport in Orlando, Air One operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to support the sheriff's office's aerial operations. These include law enforcement, search and rescue, fire suppression and monitoring, and special missions such as SWAT team fast rope insertions.

“Air One relies on high-performing and reliable aircraft around the clock,” says Bell managing director, North America Lane Evans. “In addition to other performance enhancements, the Bell 407GXi delivers better hot and high performance and increased higher precision navigation, both critical to Air One's mission portfolio.”

The Bell 407GXi is outfitted with the new Rolls-Royce M250-C47E/4 dual-channel FADEC turbine engine delivering exceptional hot and high performance, fuel efficiency and the ability to cruise at 133 kts/246 km/h. Garmin's G1000H NXi Integrated Flight Deck, complete with high-definition displays and faster processors, offers increased brightness and clarity, faster startup and map rendering, as well as connectivity to tablets and smartphones.