The first eight-seat helicopter will be delivered in June 1997 and enter service with the Wiltshire Constabulary Air Support Unit. The aircraft will be used for police work and air-ambulance services. Three more will be delivered in 1998, with the balance to arrive over subsequent years.
The UK announcement takes firm Explorer sales to around 70. The European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification of the Explorer in mid-July has now been ratified by 11 European agencies, including the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Additional international certifications received separately from that of from the JAA include those from Japan and South Korea.
The aircraft was certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration in December 1994.
Source: Flight International
