Griffin Media has replaced one of its two helicopters, which was destroyed by a tornado, with a state-of-the-art replacement.

More than a year after a tornado destroyed both helicopters for Griffin owned KWTV and KOTV, said chopper pilot Jim Gardner and Bob Mills SkyNews 9 are back in the air with a cutting-edge helicopter equipped with advanced technology.

Sister station KOTV in Tulsa, will take delivery of a separate chopper later in 2024, according to Griffin.

Newscast Studio said KWTV in Oklahoma City brands its chopper Bob Mills SkyNews 9 as part of a naming rights deal for its weather center and helicopter with local furniture store Bob Mills. KOTV’s chopper will be known as Osage SkyNews 6, to match its News on 6 moniker, as part of a co-branding agreement with the Osage Nation.

KWTV’s onboard camera with a digital lens will bring clearer pictures to viewers, improving the camera’s performance in low light and humid conditions.

“When you’re talking about tracking Oklahoma’s severe weather from the sky, the camera is key,” said News 9 meteorologist David Payne in a story on the station’s website. “This new lens gives us the ability to really shoot any and all storms in a low light environment.”

From KWTV:

The new helicopter also features Street Scope, a feature that allows viewers to see the exact streets.

“If we’re tracking a tornado, we can pinpoint exactly what street it’s on and which houses are in the path. That means better lifesaving warnings,” said Payne.

The feature can also be used to track fires, showing how many acres are burning and in which direction the fire is moving.

For high-speed chases, the system can lock onto a vehicle and display its speed, allowing the helicopter to track it in real time.

The overall design of the helicopter is safer for Gardner and his photojournalist.

The front windshields wrap around, so the visibility is a whole lot better,” said Gardner. “You don’t have any blind spots covering you up like in the other helicopters.”

The Bell 505 helicopter is designed to handle a variety of weather conditions, including crosswinds, and can fly up to 20,000 feet at speeds of 144 miles per hour.