Bell Textron Canada has received a contract to provide maintenance and repair services for the Montenegro Armed Forces Bell 505 and 412 helicopters.
The agreement will sustain the “reliability and longevity” of the fleets that were adopted by the Balkan state between 2018 and 2020.
Podgorica currently has two 505 systems and two 412 systems in its arsenal. All are being used for aircrew training, rapid response, public safety, and civil institution support.
“Bell is honored to provide the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro with our exceptional customer support and ensure successful operations of their Bell 505 and 412 fleet, originally built at our Bell Commercial Centre of Excellence in Mirabel,” Bell Textron Global customer Solutions VP Chris Schaefer stated.
“We’re grateful for the close collaboration between Bell and the [Canadian Commercial Corporation] to enable this full life cycle support from manufacturing to the aftermarket support at our Europe Service Center in Prague, Czech Republic.”
Bell’s 505 and 412 Rotary Wing Systems
Bell Textron’s 505 model is a 43-foot (13-foot) rotorcraft with a wing diameter of 37 feet (11 meters).
It has a capacity for four people and can carry up to 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of internal payload or 2,200 (998 kilograms) of external payload.
The helicopter is powered by a 505-horsepower Safran Arrius engine for a maximum speed of 125 knots (144 miles/231 kilometers per hour), an altitude of 18,600 feet (5,669 meters), and a range of 380 nautical miles (437 miles/704 kilometers).
Meanwhile, the Bell 412 measures 56 feet (17 meters) long, has a rotary diameter of 46 feet (14 meters), seating for 13 passengers, and an external payload capacity of 6,600 pounds (2,994 kilograms).
It is equipped with a 1,250-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada engine and a 900-horsepower emergency engine for speeds up to 140 knots (161 miles/259 kilometers per hour), a service ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,096 meters), and a range of 530 nautical miles (610 miles/982 kilometers).
