Tennesee Highway Patrol and Minnesota State Patrol have contracted California's CNC Technologies to provide law enforcement mission suites for their Bell 429 fleets.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol aircraft will be equipped with full mission suites including microwave video downlink equipment that is compatible with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) infrastructure for mutual aid operations throughout the state. This contract comes after CNC Technologies' successful completion of the TBI Pilatus PC-12 downlink upgrade and the construction of seven ground receive sites across the State of Tennessee. Completion services on both 429s will be provided by Bell Helicopter - Piney Flats MRO facility in Tennessee for delivery in late 2024.

The Minnesota State Patrol Bell 429 will also receive a full law enforcement mission suite with completion services by AeroBrigham in Decatur, Texas. AeroBrigham recently completed a Cirrus SR22 fixed wing aircraft for the State Patrol to complement its existing fleet of aircraft. The Minnesota Bell 429 is expected to be completed in early 2025.

“We are excited to be working on Bell 429s for the States of Tennessee and Minnesota,” says Shannon Mack, director of law enforcement sales. “CNC is the worldwide leader in Bell 429 completions, and we are looking forward to supporting both of these agencies with top-of-the-line aircraft.”