Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust (WAACT) has signed a 10-year contract in Swindon, UK, with Heli-Charter Ltd for a Bell 429 helicopter, which will come into service at the end of the year after the expiry of the lease on the current 12-year-old aircraft. The charity's trustees selected the 429 due to its advanced in-flight technology, including the most recent Aerolite equipment, in order to meet optimum HEMS specification.

The Wiltshire helicopter will be one of the first Bell 429s to operate as an air ambulance in the UK. It has a top speed of 150 knots and a range of 400 miles, allowing for a rapid response to any incident in the county.

The contract with Heli-Charter starts in the late autumn of 2014 and covers the provision, maintenance and flying of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance for up to 19 hours a day, every day of the year. It also includes a replacement helicopter to be provided after five years. The charity has spent nearly two years reviewing its options as soon as it became clear that the partnership with Wiltshire Police would terminate at the end of 2014.

WAACT chairman Richard Youens comments: “While the termination of our long-standing association with the police is much to be regretted, we have taken the opportunity to improve the quality of the service with state-of-the-art equipment at a very competitive cost. Furthermore, the new aircraft will be maintained on a rolling basis whereas the previous helicopter had to be taken offline for six weeks or more every year.

“With the loss of our collaboration with the police we will need to fund the full cost of providing the air ambulance alone. However, I can say with confidence that thanks to the passionate support the charity receives from so many people in Wiltshire, the necessary funds, about £2.5m annually, will be found.”