New AIR-2 joins AIR-1 patrolling Edmonton skies / EPS adds second H125 to its fleet

Original source: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-11-edmonton-police-service-adds-second-h125-to-its-fleet

Local snapshot (archived 2026-07-03): full-page PDF committed at sources/news/_archive/eps-air2-helicopter-h125/eps-air2-helicopter-h125.pdf.

CONFIRMED. AIR-2 delivered/in service late 2020.

• AIR-2 = Airbus H125 (same make/model as AIR-1); replaces the discontinued EC120.
• Budgeted $6.2M (approved 2019); final purchase price ~$250K under budget = $5.95M.
• Paid for by a loan from the City of Edmonton to EPS, repaid through operating-budget efficiencies.
• AIR-1 historical operating cost: expected ~$600,000/year (per CBC "Air-1 saved from budget chopping block," 2018, canonical_url https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-police-air-1-1.4936049).
• EPS Flight Operations runs the "Air-1"/"Air-2" program (EPS's version of HAWCS-style air support). Helicopters carry FLIR/thermal imaging and downlink camera surveillance capability.
• Cost note: this is per-aircraft acquisition. A two-helicopter fleet + ~$600K/yr/aircraft operating means multi-million annual air-surveillance spend on top of the ~$6M capital.