Enstrom kicked off opening day of Heli-Expo 2020 in Anaheim with the announcement of a multi aircraft agreement with the Botswana Police-Air Support Branch. Keabetswe Makophe, the commissioner of police for the Botswana Police Service was on hand at the Enstrom Helicopter booth (#2904) for the announcement that adds three Enstrom 480B turbine helicopters to its current fleet of helicopters.
Safomar Aviation, the Enstrom dealer in South Africa,was awarded this tender process which included flight demonstrations, sales support, maintenance capability and contract negotiations. The new helicopters will be customized to the Botswana Police Service specifications and include state of the art Trakka Systems day/night cameras and searchlights, navigation and communication equipment, cargo slinging and light emergency medical systems.
“The versatility and flexibility of the helicopter configuration allows the Botswana Police to fulfil a host of missions, including training, crime prevention, wild life conservation,medical evacuation, command and control, and search and rescue,” said Shai Shalem, managing director of Safomar Aviation. The three 480Bs are scheduled for delivery in the spring of this year.
The Botswana Police Air Support selected the Enstrom 480B following a lengthy and detailed tender and acquisition process. The 480B safety, power and value with light agility at the controls, combined with low maintenance, reliability and operating costs, so as to ensure consistent, cost effective and uninterrupted aerial support are the main factors for the selection of the Enstrom 480B.
“We believe the Enstrom 480B will be a great addition to the Botswana Police fleet,” said Dennis Martin, director of Sales and Marketing. “We are looking forward to a long relationship with them.”
The helicopters robust design is built from the skids up for safety and its unprecedented visibility and cabin space gives the Enstrom’s diversity to perform multiple operations with a helmet interface. The versatility and flexibility of the helicopter configuration allows it to transform from a three person crew to a five person crew in minutes.
