Indonesia receives two more Bell 412EPI medium multi-role helicopters

 

Two Bell 412EPIs during ferrying from PTDI's facility to the TNI-AD's 11th Assault Squadron. Photo c/o PTDI.

Indonesian state-owned aviation company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) confirmed on 21 July 2021, that they delivered two new Bell 412EPI medium multi-role helicopters to the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD).

The helicopters are the forth and fifth helicopters out of a total of nine ordered by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MOD) under a US$183 million contract signed on December 2018.

All nine helicopters are built by Bell Helicopters Textron in the US, and are delivered to the PTDI for customizing according the TNI-AD’s requirements, including additional accessories and armaments like the M134D galting-type gun from American arms company Dillon Aero.

The helicopters will be operated by the 11th Assault Squadron of the TNI-AD’s Army Aviation Center, which received the first helicopter on December 2020, and the second and third units on February 2021.

Additional helicopters are expected to be delivered before the end of 2021, with the rest to be delivered in 2022.

The TNI-AD has been operating the Bell 412 family of medium helicopters for several years, and the Bell 412EPI is the latest variant to enter service. These new helicopters would be complementing the TNI-AD’s existing rotary assets.

The new Bell 412EPI is powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 Twin Pac engine, which has 13% more take-off power than the Bell 412EP.

It also increased the payload capacity to 5,534 kilograms, with a fuel capacity of 1,251 liters at a cruising speed of 235 kilometers per hour, and range of 687 kilometers for 4 hours when flying with a payload of 4,309 kilograms.




[1] PT Dirgantara Indonesia
[2] Jane’s