Two organizations in Southern California, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), have signed agreements to purchase SUBARU Bell 412EPX helicopters. The announcement was made today at HAI HELI-EXPO in Dallas.

The Subaru Bell 412 EPX is a joint venture between a Bell and Subaru. It is the next in the evolution of the Bell 412 family, including:

• An electronically-controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-9 engine, with approximately a 15% increase in hot day take-off power over the Bell 412EP, and improved HOGE, CAT-A and PC-2e performance as compared to the Bell 412EP.
• The 2nd generation Bell BasiX-Pro™ integrated glass cockpit display system, close to being night vision goggle ready.
• Improved main transmission with 11 percent more torque.

Certified in 2018, the SUBARU Bell 412EPX, has an increased maximum internal weight of 12,200 lbs, external weight of 13,000 lbs and up to 5,000 lbs of goods with a cargo hook. The platform enables large cargo and personnel transportation with its ability to carry up to 5,385 lbs.

The Ventura County helicopter will be the first Subaru Bell 412EPX helicopter in North America configured for public safety. The new aircraft will be used for law enforcement, search and rescue (SAR), emergency medical services (EMS), and fire suppression.

“Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has been a Bell operator for more than 50 years,” said Lane Evans, managing director of Bell Textron Inc.North America.

The new SUBARU Bell 412EPX is scheduled to be delivered to Ventura County in the fourth quarter of this year.

SDG&E will add its first Bell aircraft to its existing fleet of helicopters to complete various utility missions. “Utility work consisting of heavy workloads such as crew and cargo transport can be extremely challenging. Operating in high elevations, such as the Laguna Mountains, coupled with San Diego’s year-round hot temperatures, adds another layer of complexity to those challenges,” said Jesse Thrush, SDG&E’s Aviation Programs Advisor.