An attack helicopter and a police helicopter may share the same basic idea, but they are built around very different jobs. One is designed to find and fight targets. Another moves troops and heavy equipment. The third has to watch a city from above and tell the officers on the ground what it can see.
They started out together
The Bell 47 shows how close these worlds once were. In March 1946 it became the first helicopter certified for civilian use. The US Army flew it in the Korean War as the H-13, for scouting, search and rescue and medical evacuation. Meanwhile, in 1948, the New York Police Department added a Bell 47 to its aviation unit, which made it one of the first police departments to use a helicopter for law enforcement.
Military helicopters: fight and carry
Armed forces use many types of helicopter, but two of the best-known show the range of the work.
The AH-64 Apache is an attack helicopter. Its two crew members sit one behind the other, and either of them can fly it or use its weapons. Sensors in the nose help the crew find targets and see at night. The 30 mm gun under the fuselage can be linked to a crew member’s helmet, so it points wherever that person looks. Because it expects to be shot at, the Apache also carries about 2,500 lb of protection, and its fuel system seals itself when hit.
The CH-47 Chinook is a transport helicopter, and its two big rotors are there to lift heavy loads. It has three hooks underneath for carrying cargo on slings. A CH-47D can move a 155 mm howitzer together with 30 rounds of ammunition and its 11-man crew. Chinooks also evacuate casualties, recover damaged aircraft and bring in supplies after disasters.
Police helicopters: watch and guide
A police helicopter’s main tool is its view from above. On a daily NYPD patrol, the crew is a pilot and a co-pilot who also serves as the tactical flight officer. The NYPD’s patrol helicopters carry a camera, a thermal imaging system, a powerful Nightsun searchlight and a moving map display.
The thermal camera reads surface heat and not visible light, so it can work when a normal camera sees very little. It has clear limits, because anything that blocks heat also blocks the picture. In 2013, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter used one during the manhunt after the Boston Marathon bombing. The suspect was hiding under the cover of a boat, and enough body heat passed through the plastic to show up on the camera.
Police work can also go well beyond patrol. The NYPD’s larger Bell 412 helicopters handle air-sea rescue, and the unit’s equipment includes firefighting water buckets and a radiation detection system.
The difference in one line
An attack helicopter’s sensors help its crew find a target and fire on it. A police helicopter’s sensors mostly help other people: its crew finds what matters and guides the officers or rescuers on the ground.
Take the controls
For the military side, try Apache Fighter or Black Hawk Attack. For something closer to police and rescue work, play HeliCops or Coast Guard Helicopter. There are plenty more in our helicopter games.
Think you can tell them apart? Take the helicopter quiz, or read our list of the top 10 attack helicopters.
Sources
- Wikipedia on the Bell 47, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook.
- Vertical on the NYPD Aviation Unit, its crews and equipment.
- Popular Science on how the thermal camera works and its use in Boston.
