The light twin for police and public safety
The Airbus EC135 (today’s H135) is the reference light-twin helicopter for law enforcement and public-safety aviation. Its twin-engine redundancy and quiet Fenestron shrouded tail rotor deliver the reliability and low acoustic signature urban police work demands. These qualities are essential for discreet observation and community acceptance over built-up areas.
Benign handling, single-pilot IFR capability, and strong hot-and-high performance make the type equally at home over a city or supporting rescue work in demanding terrain. Thousands serve worldwide, with a cabin that accommodates sensors, crew, and mission equipment with efficient weight distribution.
Proven with a national police fleet
In 2014, CarteNav’s AIMS-ISR software was selected for the UK National Police Air Service (NPAS) fleet of seven EC135 helicopters. Working with Bond Helicopters Europe, the integration paired AIMS-ISR with WESCAM MX-10 EO/IR turrets, delivering a fully georeferenced surveillance and mission-data capability across the national fleet.
Selection by a national police air operator remains one of the strongest operational endorsements a tactical mission system can earn. It set the pattern for sensor-agnostic integration in law-enforcement rotorcraft.
AIMS-ISR in the EC135 cabin
AIMS-ISR turns the EC135/H135 into a unified surveillance platform. The tactical flight officer (positioned in the front seat or at a cabin workstation) commands the full georeferenced operating picture: live EO/IR imagery, moving maps, sensor control, and mission recording on a single display.
The single-operator design keeps crewing lean and mission cost down, while every frame records to evidence-grade standards for post-mission analysis and legal proceedings. The AIMS-C4 air-to-shore link keeps command centres synchronized in real time, from dispatch through incident resolution.
Mission profiles
- Police aviation: surveillance, suspect tracking, pursuit support, and airborne patrol coordination
- Public safety: emergency response, search support, and disaster assessment
- Surveillance: infrastructure monitoring and evidence recording for prosecution
