Jonathan Clark/Herald/Review
|
|
CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham unveiled the first of 15 new EC 120 helicopters during a stop at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Wednesday. He said the EC 120, a quieter and smaller machine than the Vietnam-era OH-6 helicopters currently used by the CBP and its sub-agency, the U.S. Border Patrol, could alleviate some of the noise and disruption caused to local residents.
Even so, Basham said the nature of border security requires that helicopters continue to be flown in developed areas.
"We certainly try and make sure we are not unnecessarily disrupting or causing undue activity in a (residential) area," Basham said. "But we don't have the luxury of telling the bad guys where to go, and so we have to go where the bad guys are."
The EC 120s are expected to begin replacing the oldest of the CBP's 48 OH-6 helicopters after a testing and evaluation process is completed by the end of September. The CBP will then determine where to deploy the EC 120s for use in low-altitude tracking missions along the Southwest U.S. border.
Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Kostelnik, assistant commissioner for the CBP's air and marine operations, said the EC 120's relative quietness could be a factor in determining whether the machine is deployed to more developed border areas, such as southern Cochise County.
Daniel Pokrischkin, an instructor pilot leading training on the new helicopters, said the EC 120 will benefit law enforcement efforts on the border because it is lightweight and can be landed quickly in small areas. Furthermore, its small noise footprint - the EC 120 is reputedly the quietest in its class - provides another benefit.
"There is less advance warning for law-breakers," Pokrischkin said.
The CBP currently has two EC 120s on hand and expects delivery of the remaining 13 on a roughly one-per-month basis. The helicopters are manufactured in Texas by a French company, Eurocopter, and cost about $4 million apiece after they are modified for CBP use.
Comments