Namibia has ordered EC145 helicopter
Ministry of Safety and Security has ordered Ec145 helicopter for Namibia Police Force Air Wing
EADS has announced that Namibia has ordered a new EC145, this will join
the existing fleet of Eurocopter AS350 B3s in providing comprehensive
multi-mission civil protection capabilities in one of Africa’s
largest countries.
Manufacture of the helicopter will commence
soon at Eurocopter’s Donauwörth facility in Germany, where it will be fitted
with airborne law enforcement and rescue equipment. The helicopter is scheduled
for delivery to NAMPOL in September 2012. “The EC145’s acquisition is part of
an evolving modernization program that enables NAMPOL to fulfill its duty in
providing civil protection and law enforcement to all Namibians,” said Lt Gen
Sebastian Haitota Ndeitunga, Inspector-General of NAMPOL.
Namibia’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Safety and Security, Samuel
H./Gôagoseb, said: “Deployment of the newly-acquired EC145 will also grow
NAMPOL’s capability and capacity to provide emergency search & rescue,
life-saving and vital humanitarian relief support.”
The multi-mission EC145 can be flown by one
or two pilots and carries up to nine passengers. Featuring an advanced night
vision goggle-compatible glass cockpit, the EC145 is able to operate in poor
visibility conditions, while its digital autopilot allows for either single or
dual pilot missions.
“These features, together with its
simplified maintenance, make the EC145 the natural choice to augment NAMPOL’s pair
of single-engine AS350B3 helicopters, the first of which has been in service
since 2009,” explained Fabrice Cagnat, chief executive officer of Eurocopter
Southern Africa Ltd. (ESAL).
“Together, the EC145 and AS350B3 will
provide NAMPOL with unparalleled performance in Namibia – a country that is
typified by extreme conditions, including the very hot, dry and dusty
conditions in the central plateau and desert regions.”
NAMPOL has contracted with Eurocopter
Southern Africa Ltd. to provide EC145 type conversion training for pilots and
engineers. This will take place at Eurocopter in Germany
and at ESAL’s base near Johannesburg,
South Africa.
The helicopter will be stationed and maintained at the NAMPOL Air Wing base at Eros Airport,
Windhoek.