Airbus Helicopters Delivers 16 Choppers To Help Protect U.S. Border

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- More than a dozen helicopters are being delivered to help protect the U.S. Border, and they’re being built in the Golden Triangle.

Airbus Helicopters Inc, will deliver 16 choppers to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

On Wednesday, there was a ceremony to celebrate the big announcement.

As team members began working on the helicopters, they’re greeted by two special visitors, Congressman Trent Kelly and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker.

“Mississippi manufacturing workers can make anything that we need in the world,” said Wicker.

“You can’t get any more American made than that helicopter right there made in Mississippi,” said Kelly.

The CBP said the H-125 helicopters are a critical part of its day to day operations.

“We have a lot of missions we do to protect the homeland,” said Dennis Michelini, executive director of operations for Air and Marine. “We have border missions, and we can transition to where we are saving lives, we’re doing law-enforcement, we can put camera systems on them, we can track people in and out of the country, it’s just a fantastic tool for what we use.”

The aircraft will also be used to help rescue people during emergency situations.

Congressman Kelly is a Brigadier General in the Mississippi Army National Guard and has flown on similar helicopters.

He said he knows first hand how resourceful the choppers can be.

“They save lives,” Kelly expressed. “When we have another hurricane and the last hurricane we had, these things are in support, that’s why it means a lot to me. They literally save lives of innocent civilians used by our border patrol, and by our National Guard across the nation.”

State leaders said the deal speaks volumes about the state’s strong workforce.

“They are built right here in Columbus, Mississippi, meaning they are built by your workforce which is so dedicated, so proficient, and so engaged,” said Romain Trapp, President of Airbus Helicopters, Inc.

“It says we have the workforce that is needed, especially quality workforce,” said Chuck Younger, District 17 Senator. “There’s over 200 good paying jobs here at Airbus, they’ve produce for over 15 years now, and people still come back and they want more of our helicopters.”

All of the helicopters are expected to be delivered by October of 2021.