32.8188°N -116.974°WAerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA) is the aviation unit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. It is based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California.
1972 - ASTREA began operations with three Korean War-era Bell 47G helicopters based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.
1997 - On February 16, Deputy Patrick "Pat" S. Coyle, 42, died after the ASTREA helicopter in which he and pilot Ron Hobson were flying crashed in Sycamore Canyon, northeast of Santee, California. His death marked the first fatality in the then 25-year history of the sheriff's air support unit.
2003 - Cedar Fire and Paradise Fire
2005 - ASTREA receives two refurbished Bell 205A-1++ "Super Huey" firefighting helicopters. These are the first two aircraft purchased for the new regional fire helicopter program the county started after the October 2003 wildfires. Both are single-engine, medium-lift copters equipped with 375 gallon underbelly water tanks. The helicopters arrived at Gillespie Field after a three-day, 2,000-mile flight from Eagle Copters of Calgary, Canada. They are designated Copter 10 and 12.
2008 - A new Bell 407 is acquired and equipped to support law enforcement and command and control missions.
2009 - ASTREA sells two of its Hughes 500Ds. (ASTREA 2 & 4) These will eventually be replaced with MD530Fs.
2010 - The only MD500E owned by ASTREA is converted to an MD530F, which is better suited for high altitude and hot weather operations.
2015 - ASTREA adds a Bell 407GX to the fleet (N972PC). On September 29, ASTREA receives a third Bell 205A-1. Like the first two, Copter 11 was rebuilt by Eagle Copters and flown from Calgary to El Cajon.
2019 - The first two of four Bell 407GXi were delivered.
2020 - The third Bell 407GXi were delivered. (N709WG) The WG registration letters are the initials of the former Sheriff William Gore.
2023 - The last Bell 407GXi joined the fleet, and the first of two Bell/Subaru 412EPX arrived. N972PC a Bell 407GX was sold to make way for the new GXi.
As of November 2023, ASTREA's fleet consists of 8 helicopters:
| Role | Make/Model (Qty) | Unit No. | Tail No. | MFG Year | Serial No. (C/N) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law Enforcement* | Bell 407GXi (4) | None | N319MW | 2019 | 54814 |
| None | N313DP | 2019 | 54880 | ||
| None | N709WG | 2020 | 54885 | ||
| None | N670PC | 2023 | 56345 | ||
| Firefighting/Rescue | Bell 205A-1++ (3) | ASTREA 10 | N449RC | 1973 | 30121 |
| ASTREA 14 | N549RL | 1975 | 30215 | ||
| ASTREA 12 | N107BZ | 1968 | 30013 | ||
| Bell 412EPX (1) | ASTREA 11 | N989RL | 2023 | 39110 | |