Summit Aviation awarded $17.7 million contract for US Park Police helicopter maintenance

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday that Summit Aviation Inc. has been awarded a five‑year $17.7 million contract to provide comprehensive maintenance services for the United States Park Police’s (USPP) helicopter fleet in the nation’s capital. The agreement, which runs from April 1 through March 31, 2031, places the Delaware‑based firm in charge of routine inspections, repairs, regulatory compliance and record‑keeping for the agency’s aircraft.

Summit Aviation is headquartered in Middletown, Del., with a manufacturing and service facility in Greensboro, N.C.

The U.S. Park Police, a federal law‑enforcement agency under the Department of the Interior, operates several helicopters to patrol national parks, monitor large public events and respond to emergencies.

New Helicopters Ordered

In February, the Interior Department released a procurement solicitation that will purchase three new helicopters for the 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.

The airframes will 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.

Contract documents show the aircraft will be delivered on March 31, 2028.