BEYOND
SEARCH AND RESCUE How Heliwest Delivers Multiple ISR Missions
Above: Heliwest conducts ISR missions with both a pilot and an EO/IR operator who
Heliwest is one of Australasia’s leading helicopter companies and the largest onshore helicopter operator in Western Australia with over 40 helicopters. Heliwest has offices throughout Australia and primarily operates out of its base in Western Australia, also conducting annual seasonal missions in Antarctica.
runs mission equipment during flights. Right: Heliwest is based in Western Australia and operates a large fleed of aircraft.
Since 1992, Heliwest has been providing fixedwing, helicopter, and UAV services to a broad range of clients, including many in the mining and resources sector. Many of Heliwest’s staff have a detailed knowledge of the resources industry. Services include SAR, ALE, fire mapping, survey mapping, damage assessment, oil spill monitoring, and other environmental monitoring. Operators of the largest flight school in Australasia, Heliwest trains pilots for private and commercial licenses and provides advanced
AF 12 | aerialfiremag.com
training including NVIS to both the civil and government market Located on Australia’s rugged west coast, Heliwest achieves ISR excellence for multiple special mission types. Missions include fire mapping, search and rescue, and linear surveillance – all executed using one common ISR mission system: AIMS-ISR. In 2010, Heliwest decided to compete for a large tender issued by Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) for fire mapping in Western Australia. To win the contract, Heliwest had to generate accurate, up-to-the-second maps showing the active fire situation. They also had to be able to communicate those maps in real-time to teams on the ground.
