The Metropolitan Police of London has been operating specialist helicopters to perform surveillance missions for a long time now. By choosing to replace its three AS355 N Ecureuils with EC145s, the ‘Met’ is planning to significantly expand its mission range.

The Lippits Hill base in Loughton overlooks the beautiful English countryside. Yet, London is not far away. The skyscrapers of the City can be seen in the distance and the London Eye, on the banks of the Thames, traces an arc on the horizon. The men and women of the Air Support Unit (ASU), the air branch of the London Metropolitan Police, do not hide their joy at working in such a rural environment , which is still on the doorstep of the UK capital. Another reason for satisfaction is the three AS355 N Ecureuils that the unit has been operating for more than 10 years.

A High Performance Mission System
“We received our first AS355 N in 1993,” explains the head of the unit, Inspector Philip Whitelaw. “The two others arrived in 1994 and 1996. These aircraft have not had a day off since and they have all notched up more than 10,000 flight hours already - without accidents!” The unit’s nine pilots and 18 police officers (observers) provide a 24/7 service. Unless the weather is particularly bad, an aircraft is always ready on the helipad, capable of taking off in less than three minutes. Sixty percent of the unit’s activity is in response to circumstance and emergency calls. While the remaining forty percent is taken up with scheduled operations. “Above all, our mission is geared towards ‘command and control’ and aerial surveillance,” continues Inspector Whitelaw. “We are there for our colleagues on the ground, to look for suspects, locate stolen vehicles, and reconnoiter the area. We also play an intelligence role by filming or photographing certain areas where the police need to intervene.”

The “Skyforce Observer”
Interestingly, the ASU deploys crews made up of three flying personnel: a pilot and two observers. According to Sergeant Richard Brandon, an experienced observer, this configuration allows the unit ‘to get the most out of the aircraft’s formidable on-board systems. While the observer in the forward, left hand seat concentrates on using the optronics and the digital mapping system, the mission commander in the rear can focus on the wider picture, handle the radio equipment and direct the mission. We use six radio channels on board, including four for communicating with the units on the ground.”

The ASU also uses the ‘Skyforce Observer’, a system that twins the digital mapping device with the Wescam optronics turret. With this coupling, the Wescam can be directed to a designated position on the map or, in reverse, the geographical coordinates can be derived from where the camera is pointed. The ‘Skyforce Observer’ also transmits the resulting images to the ground in real time. On 7 July 2005, just a few minutes after the bombs exploded on the London public transport system, the AS355 Ns of the ASU were used to control the crowds by transmitting direct images to the computer of the special operations room at Scotland Yard.