The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the

Huey family The Bell Huey family of helicopters includes a wide range of civil and military aircraft produced since 1956 by Bell Helicopter. This H-1 family of aircraft includes the utility UH-1 Iroquois and the derivative AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter series ...

manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the

Bell 212 The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in ...

, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.

Design and development

Development began in the late 1970s with two Bell 212s being converted into 412 prototypes. An advanced four-blade main rotor with a smaller diameter replaced the 212's two-blade rotor. A Bell 412 prototype first flew in August 1979. The initial model was certified in January 1981 with deliveries commencing in the same month. The 412 model was followed by the 412SP (Special Performance) version featuring larger fuel capacity, higher takeoff weight and optional seating arrangements. In 1991, the 412HP (High Performance) variant with improved transmission replaced the SP version in production. The current production version, 412EP (Enhanced Performance), is equipped with a dual digital automatic flight control system. In 2013 Bell introduced the 412EPI which includes an electronic (digital) engine control for a PT6T-9 engine upgrade, and a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...

display system similar to the Bell model 429. Also featured is a Garmin touchscreen navigation system, and the BLR Strake and Fast Fin upgrades for improved hover performance. Over 700 Model 412s (including 260 by AgustaWestland) have been built.Bell/Agusta Bell 412 – Medium Transport Helicopter, USA/Italy
, Aerospace-Technology.com

Variants

;Bell 412: Standard Model with P&WC PT6T-3B ;: Special Performance version with P&WC PT6T-3BF engines ;Bell 412HP: High performance version with P&WC PT6T-3BG or -3D engines ;Bell 412CF (

CH-146 Griffon The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-role utility helicopter designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant of the Bell 412EP for the Canadian Armed Forces. The CH-146 is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaissa ...

): 100 custom-built utility transport helicopters for the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

, based on 412EP and designated by Bell as 412CF ;: Enhanced performance version with P&WC PT6T-3DF engines ;Bell 412EPI:Glass cockpit version with P&WC PT6T-9 electronic controlled engines ;Bell Griffin HT1: Advanced training helicopter based on the Bell 412EP, operated by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) since 1997 as an advanced flying trainer. Operated by the

Defence Helicopter Flying School The Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) was a military flying school based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, England. The school, established in 1997, was a tri-service organisation and trained helicopter aircrews for all three British armed f ...

at RAF Shawbury and the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley. ;Bell Griffin HAR2: Search and Rescue helicopter based on the Bell 412EP, operated by No. 84 Squadron RAF since 2003 at

RAF Akrotiri RAF Akrotiri ( el, Βασιλική Πολεμική Αεροπορία Ακρωτηρίου) is a large Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which compr ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. ;Agusta-Bell AB 412:Civil utility transport version, built under license in Italy by

Agusta Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoot o ...

.Model 212 Twin Huey: USN-USMC UH-1N / Model 412
. Vectorsite.net, 1 December 2007. ;Agusta-Bell AB 412EP: Italian-built version of the Bell 412EP. ;Agusta-Bell AB 412 Grifone: Military utility transport version, built under licence in Italy by Agusta. Prototype of the UH-X ahead of her first flight

Prototype of the UH-X ahead of her first flight

;Agusta-Bell AB 412 CRESO: Italian-built version, fitted with a ground surveillance radar. ;NBell 412: Indonesian

IPTN Indonesian Aerospace (IAe) ( id, PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero)), is an Indonesian aerospace company involved in aircraft design and the development and manufacture of civilian and military regional commuter aircraft. The company was formerly k ...

's licensed product of Bell 412 ;Subaru-Bell UH-2 (formerly UH-X):Modified version of the Bell 412 EPI; 150 on order to meet the

JGSDF The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

's requirement for a UH-1J replacement. ;Subaru-Bell 412EPX:Commercial version of UH-X.

Operators

The Bell 412 is used by private and commercial operators. It is particularly popular in the oil industries, military, and for law enforcement use. Bell 412 operators - 2021

Military operators

; *

Algerian Air Force The Algerian Air Force (AAF) ( ar, القُوَّاتُ الجَوِّيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, links=, lit=, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyyah al-Ǧazāʾiriyyah, french: Forces aériennes algériennes, links=, lit=, translit ...

; * Argentine Air Force ; * Azerbaijani Air Force ; * Bahraini Air Force ; *

Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...

; * Cameroon Air Force ; ; * Chilean Air Force ; * Colombian Navy ; * Cypriot National Guard ; *

Dominican Air Force The Air Force of the Dominican Republic ( es, Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Navy. History At the end of the United States ...

(2 on order) ; * Air Force of El Salvador ; *

Eritrean Air Force The Eritrean Air Force (ERAF) is the air service branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces. History The Eritrean Air Force was established shortly after Eritrean War of Independence in 1994. It was first established by Commander Habtezion Hadgu, ...

; * Ghana Air Force ; *

Guatemalan Air Force The Guatemalan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or ''FAG'') is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to th ...

; * Guyana Defence Force ; * Honduran Air Force Bell 412 Indonesian Navy

; *

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

* Indonesian Navy ; * Iraqi Air Force (12 on order) Agusta-Bell AB-412 Griffon, Italy - Army (canted)

; *

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

* Carabinieri ; * Jamaica Defence Force ; *

Japan Ground Self Defence Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

; *

Lesotho Defence Force The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesoth ...

; * Mexican Air Force ; * Montenegrin Air Force ; *

Moroccan Navy ber, ⴰⴷⵡⴰⵙ ⴰⴳⴻⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵢⵉⵍⴻⵍ , image = , caption = Royal Moroccan Navy Seal , start_date = active since: 11th century current form: 30 Apr ...

; * Nigerian Air Force ; * Royal Norwegian Air Force Bell 412SP ‘148’ (49518597807)

; *

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

; * National Aeronaval Service of Panama ; * Peruvian Air Force B412_FAP

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

; *

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...

; * Royal Saudi Air Force ; * Slovenian Air Force Slovenian Air Force Bell 412 (cropped)

; *

South Korean Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

;: *

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

;: * Tanzania People's Defense Force Rtaf bell412 (cropped)

; * Royal Thai Air Force * Royal Thai Police ; * Tunisian Air Force ; * Turkish Coast Guard Bell412 TurkishCoastGuard Teknofest2019 (3)

; * United Arab Emirates Air Force Bell 412EP Griffin HT1 of the RAF at RIAT 2010 arp

84 Squadron medevac exercise on HMS Enterprise MOD 45167266

; *

National Navy of Uruguay The National Navy of Uruguay () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy (''Comandante en Jefe de la Armada'' or COMAR). History Independence Unde ...

(2 on order) ; *

Venezuelan Army The Venezuelan Army, officially the National Army of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Ejército Nacional de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is one of the six professional branches of the Armed Forces of Venezuela. Also known ...

Venezuelan Navy ) , mascot = , battles = Venezuelan War of Independence and the Battle of Lake Maracaibo , anniversaries = July 24, Birthday of Simon Bolivar, Navy Day and Battle of Lake Maracai ...

; * Air Force of Zimbabwe

Government operators

; *

Ambulance Victoria Ambulance Victoria (AV), a Victorian agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria was formed on 1 July 2008 with the merger ...

(replaced with the

AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...

in 2016) *

Babcock Mission Critical Services Bond Aviation Group was a British helicopter operator based at Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton. It was purchased by Babcock International in 2014. It incorporated Bond Air Services, now renamed Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore, and ...

* Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Western Australia *

Emergency Management Queensland Emergency Management Queensland was the emergency division of the Department of Community Safety. The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service also belonged to the department. It aimed to plan and prepare for disasters as well as rescue and protect p ...

* New South Wales Police Force * New South Wales Rural Fire Service * MedSTAR ; *Canton of Sarajevo Police ; * Federal Police ; * Canadian Coast Guard 7 Bell 412EPI *

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

* Surete du Quebec ; * National Police of Colombia ; : Republic of Croatia Ministry of Interior - 2 Suburu Bell 412EPXs for delivery in October 2023 ; *

Police of the Czech Republic The Police of the Czech Republic ( cs, Policie České republiky) is the national law enforcement agency of the Czech Republic. It was established on 15 July 1991 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. The agency is tasked with p ...

; * Finnish Border Guard ; *

Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...

- 1 NBell 412 and 2 NBell 412EP ; *

Iranian Red Crescent Society The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), officially the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, جمعیت هلال احمر جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Jamʿiyyat-e Helâl-e Ahmar-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân) is a n ...

; * Guardia di Finanza *

State Forestry Corps The State Forestry Corps (Italian language, Italian: ''Corpo forestale dello Stato'' or ''CFS'') was a national Law enforcement in Italy, police agency in Italy. It was established on 15 October 1822 by Charles Felix of Sardinia as Amministrazion ...

; * Japan Coast Guard * Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department ; * Coast Guard ; * Slovenian National Police LACoFD Air 18

; *

Chicago Fire Department The Chicago Fire Department (CFD) provides fire suppression, rescue services, Hazardous Materials Response services and emergency medical response services to the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chi ...

Delaware State Police The Delaware State Police (DSP) is a division of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Delaware, especially in areas underserved by local p ...

Los Angeles City Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...

* Los Angeles County Fire Department * Miami-Dade County Fire Department *

New York City Police Department Aviation Unit The New York City Police Department Aviation Unit is a division of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) focused on airborne law enforcement and public safety. Operating under command of the NYPD Special Operations Bureau, the unit freq ...

Orange County Fire Authority The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for unincorporated areas of Orange County, California as well as 25 cities within the county that contract OCFA's services. There ...

San Diego Fire Department The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of San Diego, California, United States. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is the second-largest municipal fire department in the st ...

* United States Park Police * Virginia State Police

Former operators

; *

Uganda Air Force Ugandan People's Defence Force Air Force, more commonly known as Ugandan Air Force, is the branch of the Uganda People's Defence Force that deals with the air warfare. It headquarters is located at Entebbe, Uganda. The current air force commander ...

Incidents and accidents

On April 4, 1991, a Bell 412 and Piper Aerostar collided in mid-air over a suburb of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. All five people on both aircraft, including United States senator

John Heinz Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Pennsylvania. Heinz represented the Pittsburgh suburbs in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and ...

, along with two children on the ground, were killed. On April 22, 1994, a Bell 412 medical Helicopter AirCareAirCare
/ref> from North Carolina Baptist Hospital crashed into mountainous terrain near Bluefield, West Virginia, killing all four crew members on board. On 9 July 2002, a Bell 412 from the El Salvador Air Force crashed after a lightning strike, killing all four crew members and three passengers on board. On December 10, 2006, a Bell 412 medical helicopter Mercy Air 2 crashed in mountainous terrain near Hesperia, California. All three crew members on board died.

Specifications (412EP)

References

Citations

Sources

* * Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". ''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

'', Vol. 180, No. 5321, 13–19 December 2011. pp. 26–52.

External links

Bell Helicopter 412EP official page
{{JSDF aircraft designations 1980s United States helicopters 1980s United States civil utility aircraft 1980s Canadian helicopters Twin-turbine helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1979

412 __NOTOC__ Year 412 ( CDXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Europe as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius (or, less frequently, yea ...