Criminals and potential terrorists in NSW will find it harder to hide from the police with the force launching three new state-of-the-art aircraft including a $16 million helicopter with "auto hover" technology.
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The Bell helicopter - PolAir 2 - and two Cessna planes - PolAir 6 and 8 - were commissioned into service on Tuesday at Bankstown Airport by NSW Governor David Hurley.
The new helicopter will replace the existing PolAir 2 while one of the planes will replace PolAir 6 meaning NSW Police will now have a fleet of five helicopters and three light aircraft.
With the additional Cessna, PolAir 8, NSW now has the biggest aviation branch in the country.
Commissioner Mick Fuller says the new aircraft will help the force target, respond to, prevent and disrupt crime.
"They have thermo cameras and they have cameras that can zoom in from a kilometre away," Mr Fuller told AAP on Tuesday.
"We can track missing people and we can track offenders now better than we ever have."
The new twin-engine Bell helicopter cost about $16 million.
It has advanced "auto hover" autopilot technology which will be used during winch rescues - particularly near cliffs or over water.
The helicopter has a cruise speed of more than 220km/h and features digital touch-screen navigation which will provide increased efficiency when flying direct routes.
The two new turboprop Cessna planes cost about $3.5 million each and have a cruise speed of more than 340km/h and a range of over 1400 kilometres.
"The three new aircraft represent a $33.4 million investment by this government into our airborne police resources and equipment," Police Minister Troy Grant said in a statement.
"They will be used to conduct searches for missing persons and offenders, transport specialist personnel and cargo, and undertake surveillance, major crime and counter-terrorism operations."
The $33 million funding boost will cover maintenance, training and transport costs.
Australian Associated Press
