EDMONTON -- Citizens in need and criminals on the run will soon be watched over by a brand new Edmonton Police Service helicopter.

Costing just under $6 million, the Airbus H125 is the same make and model as AIR-1 and replaces the discontinued EC120 aircraft.

“AIR-1 and AIR-2, our two helicopters, play an integral role in ensuring citizen and officer safety,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Shafer, with the EPS Canine and Flight Operations Section, in a news release.

“They allow us to monitor fleeing vehicles from a safe distance, locate missing persons, find suspects who may be trying to evade police, and assist officers on the ground with scene surveillance.”

Expected to last a minimum of 20 years, the new AIR-2 allows for more efficient training in maintenance, since aircrews no longer have to train on different models of helicopters, EPS said.

EPS AIR-2

The H125 also carries more fuel than its predecessor, which allows for longer flight time over metro Edmonton.

Currently, EPS helicopters attend over 3,000 calls per year. They help apprehend a fleeing suspect 98% of the time.

AIR-2 was originally budgeted at $6.2 million in 2019 as part of a planned fleet replacement. It was paid for by a loan from the City of Edmonton that will be repaid through efficiencies in the police operating budget.

The aircraft also features an HD infrared camera, searchlight, mapping system, along with a microwave downlink and police radios.

AIR-2 will take to the skies before the end of November and will be able to respond to calls within about 60 seconds.