Law enforcement agencies in California, New York and Florida have recently taken delivery of various AStar Airbus helicopter units, the company has announced.

The California Highway Patrol has taken delivery of three AS350 B3e helicopters as part of a five-year contract to upgrade the agency's helicopter fleet. The helicopter is the latest model in the AS350 line that populates the agency's fleet.

The Riverside County (Calif.) Sheriff's Office has taken delivery of two AS350 B3e helicopters to expand its operations. The agency covers 7,000 square miles in a county of 2 million residents. Parts of the county reach altitudes exceeding 10,000 feet. The LAPD has also ordered an AS350 B3e, Airbus has announced.

In New York, the Suffolk County Police Department purchased a second EC145 helicopter to replace an older AS350 B2 airship.

"The cabin size and flexibility of the EC145 make it an excellent aircraft for our air medical service missions," said Sgt. Brian Barrett, commanding officer of the agency's Aviation Section.

In Florida, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has taken delivery of a fourth AS350 B2 equipped with a FLIR 230HD thermal imager, Spectrolab SX-5 searchlight, AeroComputers moving map system, and NVG cockpit modifications by AeroDynamix.