Air Support Unit – Ruston Operations Base

The mission of the Ruston Operations Base is to enhance public safety by providing effective aerial support to the Louisiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies in North Louisiana. The base operates from the Ruston Regional Airport in Ruston, Louisiana.

The Air Support Unit currently has two Pilots assigned to the Ruston Operations Base able to respond to police emergencies twenty-four hours a day in a 19 parish area which encompasses the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Tensas, Union, Webster, and West Carroll. These parishes are in Patrol Troop F and Troop G, as well as, Criminal Investigations Division – Region 2.

One Cessna 172 airplane and one Bell OH-58A+ helicopter are stationed at the Ruston Operations Base for rapid deployment. The Bell OH-58A+ is configured for Night Vision Goggle (NVG) operations and is equipped with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera and Night Sun searchlight. These two aircraft allow the Pilots stationed at the Ruston Operations Base to conduct a wide-variety of missions, including helicopter demonstrations, disaster relief, criminal surveillance, photo reconnaissance flights, marijuana eradications, manhunts, speed enforcement, SWAT operations, downed aircraft searches, missing persons searches, and other emergency police response missions.

Speed:	100 knots		Max Weight:	2300 lbs.
Endurance:	5.0 hours		Empty Weight:	1522 lbs.
Range:	500 NM		Useful Load:	777 lbs.

Speed:	100 knots		Max Weight:	3259 lbs.
Endurance:	2.5 hours		Empty Weight:	1949 lbs.
Range:	250 NM		Useful Load:	1803 lbs.