HYDE-SMITH: $45.9 MILLION CONTRACT AWARDED FOR CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION HELICOPTERS
Aircraft Produced at Columbus Plant Will Support CBP Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today applauded the award of a $45.9 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security procurement contract for seven Light Enforcement Helicopters (LEH), which will be manufactured in Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the LEH aircraft will be produced at the Airbus plant in Columbus for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Customs and Border Protection will use these helicopters for law enforcement missions to secure our borders,” Hyde-Smith said. “I’m pleased Mississippi’s capable workforce will be providing the Department of Homeland Security with the tools they need to protect the American people.”
The helicopters, funded through FY2017 and FY2018 appropriations, will replace existing aircraft that have been removed from service. The contract entails designing, building, installing, testing, and certifying the aircraft for use by the CBP.
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