Beijing will get four police helicopters next year to support
its first-ever air patrol squad, which will help to ensure security
at the Olympic Games in 2008.
Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau signed a contract
Thursday with Italian firm Agusta Westland to buy an AW139
helicopter.
The bureau will purchase two CA109s from the joint venture
Agusta Ltd. Co. based in east China's Jiangxi Province. It will get
another such helicopter for free, under the contract signed with
the company.
The first-ever Beijing police aircraft is expected to arrive in
April next year.
The helicopters would fly outside the Third Ring Road in
accordance with the air administration rules of the Chinese
capital, said Wang Bao, an official with Beijing Air Force
Command.
The helicopters will help direct ground traffic, arrest criminal
suspects, join anti-terrorist operations, support disaster-relief
campaigns and deal with other emergency activities.
The take-off peak load for the AW139 is 6.4 tons. It is able to
carry 15 people with a maximum speed of 318 km per hour.
While the CA109, already in use by police forces in the mainland
cities of Shenzhen, Zhengzhou and Dalian, is able to carry six
people at a top speed of 272 km per hour. Its maximum load is three
tons taking off.
The CA109s, equipped with infrared detection systems, are able
to transmit pictures taken in the air to the ground,
representatives with the Jiangxi-based firm said.
Delegates would not discuss the cost or details of Beijing's air
police squad.
(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2006)