The Investigative Police of Chile (PDI – Policía de Investigaciones) will soon be launching a tender for the supply of one or more helicopters to support anti-drug operations. This is the result of central government funding approval as part of a determined push against drugs. The aircraft will need to operate at altitude as a lot of the tasks are expected to be in the altitude desert areas bordering Peru and Bolivia.

Chile is a notoriously difficult country to police, given its geographical situation. The country is approximately 2,700 miles long but only 110 miles wide on average – and thus there is a disproportionate length of border to the total land area.