HAMPSHIRE police's new force plane is to be named after its former chief constable.

The Daily Echo can reveal that the £1.3 million aircraft will be named Sir John Hoddinott, who served as the county's top police officer from 1988 to 1999.

Hampshire Police Authority decided the name would be a fitting tribute to the man who led the constabulary for more than a decade.

The twin-engined, fixed-wing Defender 4000 is currently being kitted out before an official hand-over ceremony which is due to take place in March.

It is hoped the replacement aircraft, paid for with a £670,000 contribution from the Home Office, will prove much quieter than the current ageing spotter plane. The eight-year-old Britten-Norman Islander, named Boxer, has been criticised in the past for the noise its piston engines make and because it cannot hover.

But the plane, based at the constabulary's Lee-on-the-Solent air support unit, has provided a vital role with its thermal-imaging equipment as well as daylight video cameras.

Up in the skies for around 900 hours a year, its range of jobs has included searching for missing people and taking part in police pursuits.

Its replacement's engines should not only be quieter but result in less vibrations, cutting down on fatigue for staff.