Brazil's Federal Highway Police (PRF) has taken delivery of four factory-new Grand Caravan EX aircraft. The new aircraft, characterised in the colours and patterns of the PRF, join another Grand Caravan already operated by the service and the 12 helicopters used in the missions of the Air Operations Division (DOA). The aircraft were received by the general director of the PRF, Antonio Fernando Oliveira.

The aircraft were purchased with funds from the National Secretariat of Public Security of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Federal Public Ministry at a final price of US$4.6 million each.

In his speech, Minister Ricardo Lewandowski highlighted the importance of the equipment: “It is an auspicious day for the PRF and for the Brazilian public security system. The delivery of these four aircraft means that the Federal Highway Police is equipping itself to fight organised crime and integrate with the Public Prosecutor's Office.”

“Today, we are, and I say ‘we’ because I feel like a member of the PRF, a force present throughout the national territory, fighting arms trafficking, illegal deforestation and mining, human trafficking and helping Rio Grande do Sul to overcome the catastrophe that struck the state, providing an excellent service,” concluded Lewandowski.

The PRF conducted studies to acquire aircraft capable of meeting the needs of the corporation, which operates throughout Brazil in a wide range of climates and biomes. After these studies, the choice fell on the Grand Caravan EX model, manufactured by Cessna Aircraft. It is a robust, high-wing, single-engine aircraft capable of operating on short runways of any surface and in a variety of temperature, altitude and atmospheric pressure conditions.

For the PRF's general director, Fernando Oliveira, the arrival of the four new aircraft represents an increase in the institution's capacity to operate in the country. "With these aircraft, the PRF gains agility and autonomy, which are essential to face the challenges that arise in a country with continental dimensions like Brazil."

At the end of the event, Oliveira highlighted the partnership between the National Secretariat of Public Security of the MJSP and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) for the modernisation of the PRF, a joint effort committed to the safety and well-being of the Brazilian population.

The Caravan can carry up to nine passengers and two crew members and has a range of approximately 1,500 kilometres. Like the other equipment, it will be used in missions of the PRF Air Operations Division, mainly in the transportation of police officers and equipment; transportation of cargo to hard-to-reach locations; transportation of humanitarian aid, medicines and food to isolated locations; rescue and air medical transport; instruction and training; and transportation of organs and tissues for donation, among others.

As the PRF operates in conjunction with other forces, the aircraft can also be used in operations to combat slave labour; assist isolated indigenous communities at risk; combat child labour; combat human, arms and ammunition trafficking, among other missions.

The Air Operations Division of the Federal Highway Police has a staff of 25 commanders, 35 co-pilots, 39 operators and six mechanics engaged in air operations. The DOA operates throughout the national territory with the task of carrying out air patrols on federal highways and areas of interest to the union, in support of public safety and traffic safety operations, in addition to aeromedical rescue and transportation of people and goods.

In addition to Minister Lewandowski and the PRF board of directors, the following people participated in the ceremony at the PRF hangar at Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport in Brasília: the Secretary General of the Federal Public Ministry, Eliana Péres Torelly de Carvalho, who represented the Attorney General, Paulo Gonet; the Executive Secretary of the MJSP, Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto; and the president of TAM Aviacao Executiva, supplier of the equipment, Leonardo Fiuza.

The Grand Caravan EX has a spacious cabin that can be quickly reconfigured and perfectly adapted to any need, whether for transporting cargo, luggage or up to nine passengers plus crew. In addition, the model offers better climb performance and higher cruising speed than its predecessor, reaching 185 kts and reaching up to 25,000 ft in altitude, with a maximum range of up to 1,689 km (at 10,000 feet in economy cruise and 45 minutes of reserve). With its range, it is possible to fly from São Paulo to Cuiabá nonstop.