Citizen Portal
Sign In

Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows

Get Lifetime Access

Council hears study session on helicopter 'downlink' video tech; remaining upfit cost estimated at $230,000

Huntington Beach City Council · December 16, 2025

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Police and fire staff briefed the council on tests of cellular and Starlink downlink options for the city’s MD530 helicopters and recommended outfitting remaining aircraft. Staff said the remaining cost to upfit two helicopters is about $230,000 and argued the capability saves lives and aids mutual‑aid partners.

Huntington Beach police and fire officials briefed the council on recent testing of real‑time helicopter video downlink systems and recommended completing upfits on the remaining aircraft to enable cellular/Starlink hybrid streaming and in‑air Wi‑Fi.

Lieutenant Toby Archer described the department’s evaluation of RF/microwave, cellular and Starlink technologies; RF was effectively ruled out because of mounting/space constraints on the MD‑530 airframe and cost. Archer said the department tested cellular solutions and an aggregated Starlink/cellular configuration that switches to Starlink at higher altitudes and uses cellular when coverage is available—reducing latency and improving coverage compared with cellular alone. Demonstrations shown to council included low‑latency infrared and mapping overlays used during pursuits, rescues and structure fires.

Archer said one helicopter was already modified with grant funds (about $30,000 leveraged) and the remaining work to outfit the two other helicopters (hardware, mounts, rewiring, FAA certification and mapping integration) is estimated at approximately $230,000. Councilmembers praised the lifesaving potential of infrared and mapping overlays for fire and marine responses and discussed possibilities for cost recovery by offering enhanced services to neighboring agencies under contract.

Council did not take an immediate appropriation vote during the study session; staff said a follow‑up item with procurement and budget detail could be returned. Councilmembers generally expressed support and noted the work includes FAA‑compliant mounting and upgraded onboard wiring to allow future technology swaps.