Philippine Air Force to replace 8 Bell 412EPI helicopters.

According to Defense Studies, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) of the Philippine Ministry of Defense has issued a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to procure Additional Utility Helicopters (Bell 412) for the Philippine Air Force. The initial funding of Php958,892,963.00 was released on August 3, 2023, representing 15% of the total contract cost. This funding will serve as the project's initial investment, with the remaining payments to be made through Multi-Year Contractual Allocations (MYCA) based on project milestones.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

Bell 412EP of the Philippine Air Force (Picture source: via MaxDefense)

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) aims to acquire 8 Bell 412EPI helicopters, intending to replace its current fleet of 5 Bell 412EP combat helicopters used by the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing. The Bell 412 will serve as an alternative Combat Utility Helicopter (CUH) variant to the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk. Compared to the S-70i Black Hawk, the Bell 412 is smaller, less expensive, and has lower maintenance costs, making it suitable for missions that do not require the Black Hawk's size and power.

The Bell 412EP can carry 14 people and fly at a maximum speed of 140 knots (about 259 km/h), its cruising speed is 122 knots (226 km/h), and its range is 402 nautical miles (745 km). It is powered with an enhanced Pratt and Whitney PT6T-3D Twin Pac.

Before former President Rodrigo Duterte's administration canceled it, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) had previously finalized the acquisition of the Bell 412EPI variant, which is a more advanced version of the Bell 412EP.

It has been verified that this project is part of the Second List of Horizon 2 in the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (RAFPMP). It does not fall under Horizon 3, whose current shopping list has not yet been approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.