The Ohio State Highway Patrol has taken delivery of an H125 AStar helicopter from Airbus Helicopters for patrol, aerial searches with thermal imagers, photo missions, and marijuana eradication, the company announced.

The H125 AStar (formerly AS350 B3e) features dual hydraulics, dual channel engine FADEC, 30-minute take-off power and advanced glass-panel cockpit displays. With a Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine, the H125 boasts a significant power reserve, along with unmatched tail rotor authority and high altitude and hot weather performance.

The H125 is also equipped with a high-tech law enforcement equipment package including a Wescam MX-10 thermal imager and Spectrolab SX-16 searchlight. Its navigation and communications system include the Garmin G500H glass cockpit and Aerocomputers moving map system.

"Our new H125 will give us increased power and useful load, along with additional safety features," said Capt. Randy Boggs of the agency's Aviation Section.