Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop on take-off (Textron Aviation)

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One of the new aircraft announced for the Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group (ACG)  will be based in Cairns.

Police Minister, Mark Furner, announced the purchase of seven new aircraft to replace the ageing ACG fleet.

The order includes five Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprops which will be based in Cairns, Mount Isa, and Brisbane, and two Gulfstream G280 jets to be based in Brisbane.

The King Air 360 is the latest model in a series of utility twin engine aircraft produced by US manufacturer, Beechcraft, since 1964.

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It has a range of more than 3000 kilometres, room for 11 occupants, and a maximum cruise speed of 570 kilometres per hour.

Mr Furner said the new planes will boost capacity for specialist police operations, access to remote areas, and organ retrieval flights to locations anywhere in Australia and New Zealand.

The ACG has conducted more than 100 organ retrievals in the past 18 months, an average of one a week.

The Aviation Capability Group provides services for government departments across the state, including police, Queensland Ambulance Service, Corrective Services, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and Queensland Health.

Police Assistant Commissioner, Marcus Hill, said the new fleet will help serve communities during emergencies and disasters.

“The modern turboprops will have cargo accessibility to help transport important supplies during disasters, and special police equipment which can be transported anywhere in Queensland or Australia.

“They will also be pressurised, allowing them to travel higher and faster and attend to urgent jobs quicker.

“Our fixed-wing aircraft are extremely versatile and enable specialist police officers and equipment such as the dive squad, our Special Emergency Response Team, and the Explosive Ordinance Response Team to be deployed virtually anywhere.”

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“This replacement fleet will ensure we have the capacity and capability to effectively manage these services for communities across the state now and into the future.”

The new aircraft will be introduced over the next two years.

EMERGENCY
AVIATION

Main points

  • One of seven new QPS aircraft will be based in Cairns
  • The Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop has more than 3000km range
  • New aircraft to arrive within two years
Demand for aviation services continues to rise significantly.
Assistant Commissioner Marcus Hill
Queensland Police Service