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HOULTON – The U.S. Border Patrol will add a helicopter to its fleet this month.
The unit will be based at Houlton International Airport, where the agency already has a single-engine Cessna 206.
The plane is used to patrol the United States-Canada border between Maine and the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec, and to assist agents on the ground.
Monte Bennett, assistant chief patrol agent at the Houlton Sector of the Border Patrol, said Tuesday that the helicopter essentially will serve in the same role as the airplane.
Using aircraft is faster and more efficient than driving to some of the more remote border checkpoints. More aircraft are being stationed along U.S. borders as part of stepped-up security measures stemming from last year’s terrorist attacks.
Aircraft are being based at Houlton because that is where the sector headquarters is and because of the airport’s proximity to the border, which forms part of the airport property line. A major port of entry is located less than a mile from the airport as well.
Initially, Bennett said, a Hughes 500 or Hughes OH6 helicopter will be on loan to the Houlton Sector until contracts are awarded by the federal government for the purchase of a permanent helicopter.
The permanent helicopter could be either a McDonald Douglas 902 NOTAR or a Eurocopter EC135, Bennett said. Both are fast, highly maneuverable aircraft, according to manufacturer information.
As with the airplane, a pilot also will be permanently stationed in Houlton for the helicopter. Bennett said both pilots would be certified to fly either aircraft.
In addition to aircraft, other sector enhancements are being made or planned in Maine.
More agents are being assigned to the state, and more vehicles are being purchased for their use. Bennett was not at liberty to say how many more agents there were. He also said proposals are being considered to purchase more boats for use by agents at Calais to patrol coastal waterways.
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