Bell 505 to Become First Aircraft to Join Peoria Police and Fire Department’s Joint Aviation Unit
Houston, Texas (August 1, 2024) - Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced the signed purchase agreement of a Bell 505 to the City of Peoria, Arizona during APSCON 2024, marking the first helicopter to join the Peoria Police and Fire Department’s newly-launched joint Aviation Unit that will support firefighting and law enforcement missions.
“We are thrilled that the Peoria Police and Fire Department have chosen Bell to lead the creation of their aviation unit,” said Lane Evans, managing director, North America. “The Bell 505 is a dynamic aircraft that has proven its success in being the ultimate public safety enhancement for law enforcement units worldwide.”
The Peoria Police Department will use their new Bell 505 in conjunction with the Peoria Fire Department to provide aerial public safety support to its 195,000 residents located in the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding West Valley cities. With the added capabilities of the Bell 505, the Aviation Unit plans to rapidly increase emergency response times throughout the city and expand its public safety missions, including its search and rescue efforts and firefighting services.
“The City of Peoria is 180 square miles, with an overall planning area of 233 square miles, which is a lot of ground to cover for our public safety teams,” said Peoria Mayor Jason Beck. “The Bell 505 aircraft is the perfect tool that will get our first responders on scene more quickly and ultimately save lives. We could not be more pleased with the end-product and the support provided to us from the design process to launch.”
Known for its versatile capabilities during public safety missions, the Bell 505 is outfitted with a Safran Arrius 2R engine, dual channel FADEC, and Garmin G1000H NXi avionics suite. The Bell 505 remains an ideal aircraft for those in the public safety field for its added benefit of wide panoramic windows, an open cabin design, and Synthetic Vision technology.
In addition to the signed purchase agreement, the Peoria Police and Fire Department participated in Bell’s police aviation startup consultation service, a unique customer service offering where Bell public safety experts work step-by-step with public safety units interested in launching an aviation unit.
To find out more about how the Bell 505 advances missions worldwide, please visit the Bell product page or visit the Bell booth (#100) this week during APSCON 2024.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders.
About Bell
Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.
We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.
Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.
About Textron
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
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