Helicopters Australia wins $25m contract
Media release published on ABC online;Thursday, 1 February 2007. 13:31 (AEDT)Thursday, 1 February 2007. 12:31 (ACST)Thursday, 1 February 2007. 12:31 (AEST)Thursday, 1 February 2007. 13:31 (ACDT)Thursday, 1 February 2007. 11:31 (AWDT)
Govt unveils helicopter patrol for northern Australian waters
The Federal Government says the new rapid response helicopter that will patrol the Northern Territory's northern coastline could be used further west.
The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, is in Darwin today to announce Helicopters Australia has been awarded the $25 million tender and the aircraft is expected to be in the air by early next year.
Senator Ellison says it will be based mainly out of Darwin, not Gove as previously thought.
He says it could have broader surveillance reach than the Territory.
"It'll be spending a lot of its time in Gove of course, because that's where the threat is, where the past landfalls have been," he said.
"So really that whole area is covered by the service and that's the contract that we have. In fact, this helicopter service could even be used in the north-west of Australia."