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Atlanta police to get 2 new helicopters, refurbishes 3rd for aviation unit

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Updated  November 22, 2022 8:21pm EST
Atlanta Police Department
FOX 5 Atlanta

Atlanta to replace 1970s-era helicopters

Police officers in Atlanta are flying helicopters that are nearly 50 years old. An aide to Mayor Andre Dickens says replacing the old equipment, one that is from the Vietnam era, is long overdue.

ATLANTA - The Atlanta police officers who fight crime from the sky have been doing so with helicopters manufactured in the 1970s.

"We have to do something," said Peter Aman, Chief Administrative Officer for the Atlanta Police Department. "For a long time, we have needed to do something."

Aman briefed the Atlanta City Council on an opportunity to purchase two new choppers made available because someone canceled their order. 

Atlanta will buy those two MD530FF helicopters and refurbish a MD500E helicopter manufactured in 2001, to bring it up to the MD530FF specs. 

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The equipment change will mean the officers can train on a system that will be the same instead of three different manufacturers as they currently do. It also means each aircraft will have similar parts, cutting down on the time and price tag to replace key components due to normal use.

The city council on Monday approved the purchase and the paper was sent to Mayor Andre Dickens for his immediate signature. The total price tag will be just over $10.4 million which includes the two new aircraft purchases, the renovation, and the equipment necessary to put the machines into service.