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This multirole medium lift utility helicopter was developed by Bell in the late 1970s. Two 212s were converted as development aircraft with upgraded P&W PT6T-3B Turbo Twin-Pac engines, consisting of two PT6 turboshafts linked through a combining gearbox, driving a smaller diameter four-blade main rotor and two-blade tail rotor.
Safety features include a rupture-resistant fuel system; jettisonable crew doors; sturdy construction and bulkheads for roll-over protection; wire strike protection on the nose; dual redundant electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems; dual digital flight control; and a rugged high-reliability twin pack engine.
A first flight was completed in August 1979 and FAR Part 29 VFR approval was given on 9 January, 1981 - an extension of the Bell 212 certificate of 30 October, 1970. Deliveries commenced the same month (Jan ’81), with production switching to Bell’s Canada plant in February 1989.
The 412SP was a marketing designation for a special performance version with increased fuel capacity, higher take off weight and more optional seating arrangements. It has one 1,400 shp take off rated PT6T-3BF engine. This aircraft was superseded by the 412HP in early 1991, that had improved transmission giving better OGE hover.
The enhanced performance 412EP has a PT6T-3DF engine and a dual digital automatic flight control system with optional EFIS displays. It features BLR Strake and FastFin upgrades for improved hover performance, and fixed tricycle landing gear is optional. FAA certification was achieved on 23 June, 1994.
A three-phase block upgrade programme was introduced for the 4122EP, for which an STC was issued on 27 May, 2010. This was added as standard from new production in mid 2011. It increased tail rotor effectiveness and higher crosswind tolerance in hover in certain conditions.
In September, 2013 EASA approval was given for BLR Aerospace FastFin in September 2013.
The 412EPI was announced at Heli-Expo 2013 on 4 March, 2013. Converted from the EP, it is equipped with a dual digital automatic flight control system. The first unit was delivered for offshore oilfield support in the UAE in November 2013. FAA type certification came on 8 December, 2014 followed by EASA on 1 February, 2016.
The Subaru Bell 412EPX is an upgraded version of the 412 EPI, developed in 2015 to meet the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s requirement for a UH-1J replacement; a civil version preceded the military version. It is produced at Utsunimiya on Honshu island.
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| World fleet | Charter fleet | Typical pax | Cabin volume | Cruise | Range | Years | |
| Bell 412 | ●●● | ●● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 412SP | ●● | ●● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 412HP | ●● | ●● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 412EP | ●●● | ●●● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 412EPI | ●● | ● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 412EPX | ●● | ● | ●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| June 26, 2022 | Subaru awarded Japan-based Bell 412EPX contracts |
| May 29, 2022 | Alpine Aerotech receives STC for traffic systems in Bell 212/412 |
| May 8, 2022 | Alpine Aerotech expands ADS-B STC |
| April 7, 2022 | HeliTSA launches Bell 212 and 412 training |
| March 28, 2022 | BAR orders Bell 412EPi for Uganda missions |
| March 14, 2022 | Three Subaru Bell 412EPXs selected for North American ops |
| February 14, 2022 | Ultimate Heli supports discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance |
| December 16, 2021 | Jet Aviation delivers three Bell 412 overhauls |
| August 20, 2021 | STCs for Bells are granted to Alpine Aerotech |
| June 2, 2021 | Bell 412EPX to patrol for national police agency of Japan |
| May 10, 2021 | FAA and TCCA certify Alpine GTX transponders |
| April 11, 2021 | Pathfinder first to implement Foresight MX on Bell 212/412 |
| April 11, 2021 | KAflex drive shaft to boost Alpine's operations |
| January 15, 2021 | EASA gets behind Alpine's Bell STCs |
| January 11, 2021 | Ultimate Heli works within guidelines to reach Antarctica |
| November 2, 2020 | Babcock extends provision to remote Australian regions |
| October 18, 2020 | Babcock extends contract to serve South Australia |
| October 18, 2020 | Astronics Max-Viz receives FAA and TCCA certificates |
| July 25, 2020 | Astronautics gains STC for RoadRunner EFI aboard Bells |
| June 9, 2020 | Bell includes OnePak subscription with commercial purchases |
| May 17, 2020 | GHS and Flymed team up for INFECT service |
| May 17, 2020 | Alpine plays it cool with Bell TCCA certificate |
| April 12, 2020 | NSW put fire service fleet in Coulson's hands |
| February 17, 2020 | Maintenance made easier by Bell and P&W |
| February 3, 2020 | Bell chimes in with tech development |
| February 3, 2020 | Santa Barbara fire department selects RoadRunner EFIs |
| November 10, 2019 | US operators put faith in Becker transponders |
| October 12, 2019 | Rotary sim sales agreement spans Europe and Australia |
| September 28, 2019 | Dart's rappel kit to support US forestry service |
| August 5, 2019 | FAA certifies Onboard Systems' Bell cargo hook kits |
| July 29, 2019 | R&O up and running for Dart in Amsterdam |
| June 24, 2019 | Japan's police agency places first 412EPX order |
| June 18, 2019 | Philippine presidential 412HPs gain night lighting |
| March 25, 2019 | Nagano firefighters set to receive Bell for disaster relief |
| December 13, 2017 | Bell increases support in UAE with ADA approval |
| November 1, 2017 | FAASA to fight fire with two Bell 412s |
| April 26, 2016 | Abu Dhabi Aviation's Bell fleet surpasses one million hours |
| July 8, 2015 | European debutant 412EPI is destined for Czech police service |
| May 28, 2015 | HPE B412 simulator is certified by CAA in Italy |
| August 10, 2014 | Inaer entrusted with Bell 412 for Spanish island ops |
| June 9, 2014 | ME & MY AIRCRAFT–Twin helicopters: Twins can be costly, yet their capability in EMEA rarely disappoints |
| May 7, 2014 | Firefighter HPE invests in standalone Bell sim |
| April 3, 2014 | PAS strengthens hot and high performance with pair of Bells |
| October 10, 2013 | FastFin 412 handles flawlessly for Heli Austria |
| February 11, 2013 | Bell 412 tows largest banner |
| June 11, 2012 | Me & my aircraft: Lower maintenance and greater payload are top of twin helicopter operators' wish lists |
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