California-based aviation technology and wireless communications company CNC Technologies has delivered a Eurocopter EC135T2+ to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. On hand for the official delivery ceremony were MS DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell and Mississippi Highway Patrol Colonel Randy Ginn, as well as numerous department heads from within the agency and the Mississippi Highway Patrol Air Operations Unit.
The MS DPS EC135 was taken as a trade-in from the Massachusetts State Police and recently sold to MS DPS. The aircraft is equipped with a FLIR Star SAFIRE imager, AeroComputers moving map system, Spectrolab SX-16 searchlight and Troll microwave video downlink system. CNC technical staff integrated the aircraft's mission equipment system into the existing MS DPS microwave downlink infrastructure to work alongside the Airbus H125 that is currently being operated by MS DPS. CNC previously installed the H125's MX10 imager, Churchill moving map system and Troll microwave downlink system, as well as a fixed downlink receive site in Gulfport, Mississippi. CNC has also provided mission equipment training to all Air Operations Unit staff.
The EC135 was recently painted to match the H125. Both aircraft will be used to support law enforcement operations in coordination with city, county and other state agencies by using CNC.LIVE to provide live, cloud-based downlink video for use by ground personnel.