How fast can police helicopters fly per hour?

Question

How fast can police helicopters fly per hour?

Answer 1

The types of helicopter commonly used for police work have top speeds ranging from 130 to 160 MPH.  Because they are flying air routes rather than ground routes, they can usually get from Point A to Point B in about 1/3 to 1/4 of the time required to make the same distance by car.

You won't outrun one, if that's what you are asking.  They got you!

Answer 2

100 mph !i

Answer 3

Depends completely upon the type of helicopters.  Most aren't very fast. 130 mph tops.

Answer 4

Experience the thrill for yourself! You will fly across the city at speeds over 120 mph in the same type of jet turbine helicopter

The drone comes equipped with low-light and infrared vision and can fly at speeds of up to 48 kilometres (30 miles) per hour for 70 minutes at a time.

Answer 5

The most commonly used service helicopters (light or medium sized airframes) can go 120 mph to 160 mph. The most common types are the Bell 206 or 407, Eurocopter EC130 or EC120, and some use the MD 500 or 900.  

Answer 6

True, it depends on the type of helicopter, but a helicopter's groundspeed is also highly dependant on the wind speed and direction.  A tailwind speeds them up, and a headwind slows them down.  A Bell 206 can easily out run highway traffic just as it can struggle to keep up depending on the winds.  The winds at altitude are often very different from the winds near the surface.

However, a helicopter's speed isn't such a big factor when police helicopters are in pursuit of suspects.  You can cut a corner by miles in the sky whereas the people on the ground have to drive on roads that narrow their options.  In this instance, a police helicopter's effective "speed" relative to its target is extremely high.

**A helicopter is measuring its speed in knots like other aircraft, and I'm assuming you are wondering about groundspeed vice airspeed since you asked the question in miles-per-hour.  MPH is going to be a higher figure than knots when knots are converted to MPH.

Answer 7

That depends on the helicopter.  Police agencies around the United States, and especially around the world, use a variety of helicopter models.

Typically though, a police helicopter would be operable anywhere from 130 to 200 MPH.  The upper limit of that speed range is typically more than enough for the fastest cars encountered on the road and able to match that of most motorcycles.  Typically you will see helos in that 130 to 160MPH range (maximum speed, cruising speed is another issue).

A common helo used would be a Bell 206 JetRanger, which the LAPD uses (or has used), and has a maximum speed of about 140MPH.  Another maybe the Bell 407 which has a max speed around 150MPH.

Answer 8

I think Tekwatch was the first to answer it correctly and in depth. It all depends on the Type of Helicopter Used by the Department.