At this year’s Singapore Airshow, a Bell 429 in a law enforcement/paramilitary configuration was part of Bell Textron’s booth display. While the sight of an actual Bell helicopter brought a lot of cameras and visitors to bear, what was even more significant was the package that was displayed on it.

Presented for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region was the airborne mission systems solution package from ESG Electroniksystem–und Logistik–GmbH (ESG). Despite having no Asia-Pacific presence, ESG has been developing and integrating special systems solutions for fifty years, encompassing the gamut from command and control, to simulation and training. Previously only shown in Germany, ESG presented their Mission Management System on the Bell 429, with a MFDS Airborne Operator Console, Trakka Systems TrakkaCam TC-300 multi-mission camera/video system, and TrakkaBeam TLX Xenon searchlight.

The Bell 429 GlobalRanger is a proven platform, especially in the critical incident response and SAR (Search and Rescue) roles, and is single pilot IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) capable. Its proprietary Bell Live® Pylon Mounts absorb vibrations for a smoother ride, and it’s large contiguous cabin is reconfigurable to meet any mission requirements. With its excellent field of view and ambient lighting for daytime operations, it is also Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible for nighttime operations.

The MAphotoSG Team will be taking an in depth look at this platform solution in the coming months, so enjoy the photos in the meantime.