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Thursday November 2, 2000 :

EC 135 for the Swedish Police

Marignane, France ( Eurocopter Press Release ) - The EC 135 remains the most successful helicopter of its class in public service. This has been underlined once again by the order of three EC 135s – with options on a further five – by the Swedish Ministry of the Interior for use by the country's police. The EC 135 was once more deemed superior to its competitors, the Explorer from MD Helicopters and the Bell 427. The EC 135s will replace the Bell 206s currently in service.

The Swedish police plan to use the EC 135 for a wide variety of missions – hence the comprehensive package of equipment additionally ordered: single-pilot IFR (instrument flight rules) certification, the "avionique nouvelle" glass cockpit concept designed for the use of night vision goggles, infrared camera, searchlight, cargo hook, exterior loudspeaker, emergency floats, rescue winch and casualty stretcher. Operation bases will be Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg.

Since its market introduction in 1996, over 250 EC 135s have been sold to more than 50 customers around the world. The total of 135 already in service have together logged 85,000 hours of flying time – testimony of the model's outstanding reliability and high level of mission readiness.

There are now more than a dozen police squadrons worldwide which fly the EC 135. In Germany these include the police forces of Bavaria, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as well as the Federal Border Guard; the helicopter is also in service in Spain, for seven different operators in the UK, and – very soon – in Ireland. Outside Europe, the EC 135 is moreover used by police forces in Kuwait, Chile and Texas, USA.

The order from Sweden follows closely on the recent series of major orders for the EC 135. Bond Air Services ordered 15 machines this summer, the emergency rescue service of the Austrian automobile club ÖAMTC a further eleven in September (bringing its total up to 18 and thereby making the ÖAMTC the largest operator of EC 135s worldwide).

Eurocopter is a 100-percent subsidiary of EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company). EADS was formed in July 2000 through the merger of Dasa, Aerospatiale Matra and CASA of Spain, thus becoming one of the three leading companies in the aerospace and defence sector worldwide.

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