“We are honored that the Bell 412 will continue to serve the Philippines through the Philippine Air Force for many more years to come. Being a part of the armed forces of the Philippines is a privilege and responsibility that we at Bell Helicopter take very seriously,” said Sameer A. Rehman, managing director of Bell Helicopter Asia Pacific. “Bell’s helicopters have been a key component for the Philippine Air Force in the past and we look forward to bringing these aircraft into service quickly to serve the citizens of the Philippines.”

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The helicopters will be used for a variety of missions such as disaster relief, search and rescue, passenger transport and utility transport.

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The Bell 412EPI improves the Bell 412 platform with the Bell BasiX Pro fully integrated glass flight deck, providing critical flight information at-a-glance for greater situational awareness and safety. The Bell BasiX Pro system is specifically designed to meet the requirements of twin-engine helicopters and is optimized for IFR, Category A and JAR OPS3 compliant operations. The avionics suite also includes high resolution digital maps, electronic charts and approach plates, and ADS-B transponder. The Bell 412EPI features the BLR Strake and FastFin system, which modifies the tailboom to optimize airflow and improve handling, safety and lift.