The U.S. Department of the Interior released a procurement solicitation on Tuesday that will purchase three new helicopters for the U.S. Park Police (USPP).
The aircraft will bolster the USPP's capability to conduct
law enforcement, medical evacuation, visitor security, search-and-rescue, high-risk
prisoner transport, Special Weapons and Tactics missions, and protection
of the President of the United States and other dignitaries.
The solicitation calls for two medium-sized Bell 412 EPX helicopters and one lightweight Bell 407 GXi. Today, the USPP Aviation Unit currently utilizes two Bell 412s and a Bell 206L-3.
Bell 412 EPX – medium‑class platform
Each helicopter must be a twin-engine turbine aircraft with skid-type
landing gear.
The airframes must be capable of rapid interior
reconfiguration among law-enforcement, search-and-rescue (including hoist
operations), and medical-transport layouts. In a medical configuration, the
cockpit must accommodate a stretcher and a dedicated medical seat, while a
passenger layout can add up to four seats beyond the pilot, co-pilot, and
medical seat.
The helicopters are to be certified and equipped with a full
suite of communications gear, including dual VHF‑AM transceivers, three police‑band
FM radios covering VHF‑low, VHF‑high, UHF, 700 MHz,
and 800 MHz bands.
a. VHF-low (29.7Mhz-50Mhz analog)
b. VHF-high (138MHz-174MHz)
c. UHF (406MHz-512MHz)
d. 700MHz (698MHz – 806MHz)
e. 800MHz (790MHz-862MHz)
Bell 407 GXi – light‑class platform
The third aircraft must be a single-engine turbine
helicopter.
Factory seating for up to seven occupants is required, with
an optional litter kit for medical evacuations. Like the Bell 412s, the 407 must carry the
same communications suite and ensure interoperability across the USPP fleet.
Contract documents show the aircraft will be delivered on March
31, 2028.
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