Mirabel Québec based Bell Helicopter Textron Canada of Mirabel to supply seven 412EPI to the Canadian Coast Guard.

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC– Last Friday at the Bell Helicopter Textron Canada plant in Mirabel, 30 miles north of Montréal, The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec, on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced a contract of $156 million awarded to Bell Helicopter Textron Canada for the procurement and delivery of seven medium-lift twin turbine Bell 412EPI for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).

The contract is part of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Fleet Renewal Plan aimed to replace many of its vessels and helicopters over the next 30 years and follows a May 2014 order for 15 Bell 429 which the first one has been delivered in late March.

The first Bell 412EPI is expected to be delivered in June 2016, with one more to be delivered every three months thereafter.

Raymond Leduc, president of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada underlined that “ We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Canadian Coast Guard, and have been proud to support the Bell 206 and Bell 212 aircraft in their current fleet’….’The Bell 412EPI will continue to not only support their current efforts, but provide them with the expanded capabilities, safety and flexibility to serve the people of Canada.” According to Mr. Leduc, this contract will maintain about 40 jobs at Bell Helicopter in Mirabel.

The Canadian Coast Guard will utilize the flexibility of the Bell 412EPI to support the non-military activities of multiple government departments and agencies, including the Department of National Defense, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Environment Canada. The aircraft will operate in all areas of Canada, including both coastal regions, inland waters such as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and Canada’s expansive Arctic areas.

The Bell 412EPI.

First introduced in March 2013, the Bell 412EPI improves the Bell 412EP 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, ADS-B transponder and optional HTAWS and XM satellite links. The new Bell 412EPI also incorporates the power of Pratt & Whitney’s PT6T-9 Twin Pac engines, providing 15 percent more horsepower than the standard Bell 412. The Bell 412EPI features the BLR Strake and FastFin system, which modifies the tailboom to optimize airflow and improve handling, safety and lift.

The Canadian Coast Guard RFP.

At the beginning of March 2014, a request for proposals (RFP) for eight “off-the-shelf” medium-lift twin-engine helicopters for the Canadian Coast Guard has been issued by the federal government, with May 27, 2014 the deadline for industry replies.

The helicopters would replace five late 1970s Bell 212s and three late 1960s Bell 206Ls, all manufactured at Fort worth Bell Helicopter facilities. Potential candidates were the AgustaWestland AW139, Airbus Helicopters EC175, Bell Helicopters Bell 412EPI and Sikorsky S-76D.

Soon after, AgustaWestland and Airbus Helicopters, unable to meet the weight limitations of 11,000 pounds (4,989 kilograms) requested by the Canadian Coast Guard in order to land safely on their ships, dropped out of the competition.

The Bell 412EPI have an empty weight of 6,789 lb. (3,079 kg) and a maximum takeoff weight of 11,900 lb. (5,397 kg) compared to respectively 7,005 lb. (3,177 kg) and 11,700 lb. (5,307 kg) for the S-76D; 7,985 lb. (3,622 kg) and 14,110 lb. (6,400 kg) for the AW139 and 10,130 lb. (4,604 kg) and 16,365 lb. (7,500 kg) for the EC175.

In May 2014, Sikorsky Aircraft decided even if the S-76D met the weight requirement, to quit too.

Jeremy Tracy, head of region – Canada for AgustaWestland wrote to Jane’s that his Company ‘have no comment to add’. Airbus Helicopters Canada by e-mail commented ‘Airbus Helicopters is disappointed to see another helicopter contracted award without meaningful competition’.

Bell Helicopter Market Share.

According to the latest figures from Fairfax, Virginia Based Teal Group, Bell Helicopter Textron is rank fourth with 14,1% of the world helicopter market, behind Boeing with 25%, Sikorsky, 23,6%, Airbus Helicopters, 21,8% but still in front of AgustaWestland with 12,6%.

In 2015, about 1500 helicopters have been delivered worldwide of a value of US$22 billions.

For the 2015-20124, Bell Helicopter would slide to the fifth rank with a market share of 12,1% compared to 17,4% for AgustaWestland.

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