Helicopters Subaru and Bell announce collaboration on Bell 412 EPX helicopter

  • Bell Helicopters

Subaru and Bell Helicopters have announced, that both sides have agreed on a collaboration regarding a commercial enhancement of the Bell 412 EPI helicopter.

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The collaboration will upgrade Bell Helicopter´s commercial 412 EPI aircraft, that has received its type-certificate in July 2018 as the 412 EPX.

Bell´s 412 EPX is supporting the Japan UH-X program. Back in 2015, Subaru was awarded the contract for the Japan UH-X program to replace JGSDF´s current UH-1J fleet with the Subaru Bell 412 EPX.

With improved safety features and overall performance, the Subaru Bell 412 EPX will be more suitable to the customer. It will feature more capability while maintaining its reliability for commercial services.

Mitch Snyder, Bell President and CEO, commented: “Our relationship with SUBARU extends over six decades. Together, we were the first to deliver military helicopters to Japan’s defense force. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration on the UH-X and the 412 EPX Programs.”

Shoichiro Tozuka, Corporate Executive Vice President and President of Aerospace Company, Subaru added: “Under cooperation with BELL, the SUBARU BELL 412EPX will provide a great opportunity to expand the commercial business. Further, the UH-X, which will replace the current UH-1J aircraft, will start delivery to JGSDF in 2022 and will be deployed for island defense and disaster relief efforts.”

According to Bell Helicopters, the 412 EPX has undergone testing at Mirabel and has received its type certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 5, 2018.

The Subaru Bell 412 EPX is a commercial variant of the 412-series. It is planned to become available to buy for customers worldwide through Bell and Subaru. The helicopter is equipped with a main rotor gearbox, that has dry run capability and an increased internal Maximum Gross Weight to 12,200lbs. Moreover, operators will benefit from a mast torque output of additional 11% at speeds below 60kts. Thereby, better operational efficiency will be reached.

Source © news.bellhelicopter.com

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