London’s Met Police will be the first UK force to operate Eurocopter’s EC 145 when three aircraft it has on order from UK distributor McAlpine Helicopters arrive later this year.

Powered by two Turbomeca turbines, the EC 145 can carry one or two pilots and eight or nine passengers. It has a cruise speed of 135kt, a glass cockpit, digital autopilot for both single or dual pilot applications, and an endurance of up to 3.5 hours. The Met’s Air Support Unit has just celebrated 25 years, although the Met’s use of aviation dates back to 1921.

The UK’s first police aviation unit with its own aircraft was officially launched at the Met’s Lippitts Hill base on November 26, 1980. It operated a Bell 222 and a Bolkow Bo105.

These days, the unit operates continuously, with three Eurocopter AS355N helicopters (to be replaced by the EC 145s).