Get to know the Bell-412 EPI Helicopter, the Indonesian Defense Guard

29 November 2019

PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) in collaboration with Bell Textron Inc. has prepared nine Bell-412 EPI helicopters for the Indonesian National Army (TNI-AD). The combat helicopter will be equipped with sophisticated weaponry. The Bell-412 EPI helicopter is manufactured by Bell Textron Inc., a company from the United States (US). PTDI's role in this collaboration is as a helicopter assembler and its weapons. PTDI will install a gattling gun from Dillon Aerospace and bullets from PT Pindad (Persero) in the helicopter.

PTDI VP Sales Ibnu Bintarto said the assembly of the Bell-412 EPI helicopter took 6-24 months. After that, PTDI will conduct an operational feasibility test and train pilots and technicians of the Indonesian Army. "Hopefully in the middle of next year it can be sent," said Ibnu, at the Shangrila Hotel, Jakarta, Wednesday (11/27). The Indonesian military is not the only helicopter user. The Philippine Air Force also ordered 16 Bell-412 helicopters. This booking contract was signed during the 2018 Singapore AirShow. Based on the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) II, Indonesia targets to have 40 Bell-412 EPI aircraft.

Having Advanced Avionics Devices

The 412 EPI helicopter in terms of appearance is not much different from the Bell-412 EP which has been operated by the Army Aviation Center (Puspenerbad) since a few years ago. But the Bell-412 EPI has a more powerful engine and more sophisticated avionics.

As reported by Indomiliter, 412 EPI uses two Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 "Twin Pack" engines, while 412 EP uses two Pratt & Whitney PT6T-3D engines.

The difference lies in the PT6T-9 power which is 15% greater than other Bell-412 engines at takeoff. In addition, PT6T-P has a feature to start the engine automatically which is able to prevent the engine temperature is too hot. In addition, there is a digital machine control feature.

This helicopter also has a large fuel capacity so that the 412 EPI can fly as far as 687 km for four hours, assuming a cruising speed of 235 km / hour. For cargo capacity, this helicopter can accommodate an internal load of around 2,200 kg and external weighing 2,041 kg. The 412 EPI's empty weight is 3,207 kg so that the full weight that this helicopter can accommodate is around 5,534 kg.

4-way Flight Control Technology

In terms of avionics, the Bell-412 EPI cockpit is entirely made of glass and has a four-axis flight control technology. This helicopter is also designed to be easily adapted to certain functions, such as weather radars, search radars, ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), and FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared).

The Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) states, the procurement of Bell-412 EPI worth Rp 2.5 trillion includes weapons, spare parts, technical publications, and training. The weapons included in this helicopter are door guns with a choice of FN MAG or M134D Minigun with caliber of 7.52 x 51 mm and FFAR (Fin Folding Aerial Rocket).

Bell Helicopter Textron says, it takes a transition period of two weeks so that pilots are adept at flying this brand-new helicopter. The training for helicopter maintenance provided to the ground crew technicians lasted for four weeks.