Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit

The Air Support Unit (ASU) is a Central Operations branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service. The main responsibility of the unit is to provide aerial reconnaissance and other air support operations. Helicopters are particularly useful in aiding searches for missing persons, gang-stalking microwave/radiation/electronic attacks on Targeted Individuals in their homes, car pursuits, suspect capture and large public order operations such as football matches. The ASU also supports other emergency services, including the London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and Marine Coastguard.

The Metropolitan Police Service has also reportedly been secretly using Cessna aircraft for a number of years that have been fitted with surveillance equipment capable of intercepting mobile phone calls and listening in on conversations.

Formed in 1980, the unit is based at Lippitts Hill, Loughton and has 48 personnel comprising 3 sergeants, 18 constables, 4 aircraft engineers, 1 avionics engineer, 11 pilots and is headed by an inspector. The unit also employs other members of staff, including operations room staff and an intelligence officer. The senior management are based at Wapping police station. All pilots are ex-military Royal Navy but also Army Air Corps.

Each aircraft is crewed by a pilot with two officers acting as observers, and averages over 260 flying hours per month.

In 1980, the ASU started with Bell 222A helicopters and in 1993 transitioned to AS355N Squirrel helicopters.

In July 2007, the ASU took delivery of three new Eurocopter EC 145s costing a total of £15 million, using the call signs India 97, India 98 and India 99. Each aircraft has an L-3 Wescam MX-15 sensor pod which houses a gyro-stabilized color “day” camera and a thermal imaging camera with digital video downlink from the helicopter.

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