A thing of beauty is a joy forever
November 15, 2024
The Royal Bahraini Police now operates eight Bell 412EP helicopters from Manama-Diwan Fort, one of which was on show in the aircraft static park, but the force is justifiably proud of its heritage and brought an exhibit from its museum to the Bahrain International Airshow.
That exhibit was a beautifully restored example of the Westland Scout helicopter, in full Royal Bahraini Police markings, on show on the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior stand. Bahrain used a pair of Scouts from 1965 to 1981, when they were retired. Both remain extant – the other having gone to the South African Air Force as an instructional airframe, surviving to be stored at the South African Air Force Museum in Port Elizabeth.
Best known for its service with the British Army, small numbers of Scouts were also used by the the Royal Australian Navy (2), the Royal Jordanian Air Force (3), and the Uganda Police (2).
Officer Abdulrahman Hasan Aldalhan, from the Police Aviation sector, said that the helicopter was at the show to highlight its historical significance and as part of a wider effort to educate the public about the Police Aviation Sector’s diverse operations
and capabilities. “We wanted to bring the Westland Scout here as a sort of museum
piece for visitors to view this first one Bahrain had,” he said. “It was used here in Bahrain for surveillance and search and rescue missions from 1965 and it retired in 1981.”
