PARIS – At a ceremony held this week, Bell Helicopter and Subaru Corporation announced that the Japan National Police Agency (JPNA) has placed the first order for a Subaru Bell 412EPX. The agreement was announced at the Paris Air Show.
“We thank the National Police Agency for its trust,” said Mitch Snyder, president and chief executive officer. “These aircraft will contribute to the overall safety and security of the people in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture. We look forward to further collaboration and continued success with Subaru for many years to come.”
Last year, Bell and Subaru announced their collaboration on a commercial enhancement of the Subaru Bell 412EPX, the newest upgrade of the Bell 412 series, which was co-developed by the two companies as the platform for the New Utility Helicopter for JMOD (Japan Ministry of Defense) program. SUBARU delivered the prototype to the New Utility Helicopter to JMOD for testing in February 2019.
Subaru has a long established partnership with Bell since 1960s for the licensed production of the HU-1B/204B. Since then, through the cooperation with Bell, SUBARU has been manufacturing and supporting more than 400 helicopters in Japan, including the UH-1H/204B-2, UH-1J/205B and AH-1S to the JMOD. SUBARU has been providing helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul support to the Japan Coast Guard, Japan National Police Agency, and to the Japan Firefighting and Disaster Relief Government Agencies.
