The Fort Worth Police Department in Texas has signed a purchase agreement for a second Bell 505 helicopter.

“Bell is proud the Fort Worth Police Department has chosen to expand its existing all-Bell public safety fleet with the purchase of an additional Bell 505, continuing our long-standing relationship with the Department,” notes Lane Evans, managing director, North America. “We remain confident that the Bell 505 platform will continue to be a great asset to the community and surrounding areas for years to come.”

Since its inception, the Fort Worth Police Department Air Support Unit has used a series of Bell aircraft to advance its aerial public safety capabilities, including Bell 47s and Bell 206 Jet Rangers. In 2021, the department took delivery of its first Bell 505 during a ceremony that commemorated the 70-year relationship between Bell and Fort Worth.

With the Air Support Unit's newly purchased Bell 505, the department plans to increase its public safety presence with the platform's versatile-mission capabilities, such as search and rescue missions. With the added benefit of its wide panoramic windows, open cabin design and synthetic vision technology, the Bell 505 acts as a force-multiplier by allowing aerial crews to relay essential safety information to law enforcement officers on the ground. Combining its Safran Arrius 2R engine, dual channel FADEC and Garmin G1000H NXi avionics suite, the Bell 505 was manufactured to perform efficiently during demanding missions.

Bell developed the world's first police helicopter more than 73 years ago.