Bell Helicopter to impress at BRIDEX

THE coming Brunei International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BRIDEX 2009), which is scheduled to be held from August 12 to 15 at the new exhibition and convention centre at Jerudong, will feature companies that will showcase high-tech products and expertise that can be deployed in fire and rescue, and national disaster management operations, among others.

BRIDEX 2009 is being organised by Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS) with the full support of the Ministry of Defence (MinDef).

RBTS said that the four-day BRIDEX 2009, one of the region's premier defence and security events, is expected to attract more than 400 delegates from over 60 countries and over 15,000 trade and public visitors.

Canada is expected to be represented by its major defence and security industry players, namely bell Helicopter, CAE, Field Aviation and Bombardier.

In Canada, Bell Helicopter is one of the world's leading producer of rotary-wing aircraft. Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd was established in 1984 and began manufacturing operations

in 1986 in Mirabel, north of Montreal. Over the past 23 years, the company has produced more than 3,600 helicopters.

Over the years, the plant has been expanded and now encompasses more than 61,000 square metres of manufacturing and office space. Other notable features include a flight test capability, control tower and two runways. The Mirabel facility, which provides employment for over 2,200 employees, generates considerable economic spin-offs, contributing favourably to Canada's balance of trade while at the same time creating and enhancing a specialised expertise in aeronautics.

Bell Helicopter manufactures aircraft for both commercial and military applications. The commercial product line includes the Bell 206B-III Jet Ranger, Bell 206L4 Long Ranger and Bell 407 in the light helicopter category; Bell 427 and Bell 429 Global Ranger in the light twin category; and Bell 412EP in the medium helicopter class. The Bell-Agusta 609 TiltRotor is currently in development.

The 206L4 and 407 are both light, single-engine helicopters which serve many different market segments including corporate, law enforcement, electronic news gathering, training, charter, utility and many other uses.

The 412EP is a medium, twin-engine helicopter that is used in the offshore oil market as well as for law enforcement, military trooplift, search and rescue, border patrol, humanitarian assistance, VVIP, emergency medical services (EMS) and many other utility purposes around the world.

Bell Helicopter plays an active role in supporting the Canadian military. Bell Helicopter has manufactured 100 Bell 412CF helicopters for the Canadian Armed Forces. In addition, the company is also supporting the flight training school at Southport, Manitoba.

The Canadian military have designated this helicopter as the CH-146 Griffon. Other countries that use the Bell 412 to support their military operations include Chile, El Salvador, Finland, Japan, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and United Kingdom, among others.

The Royal Brunei Air Force has been operating Bell products for over thirty years, including the 206B, 212 and 214ST.

The military product line includes the V-22 TiltRotor, which is currently in operation with the US Marine Corps and Air Force. In addition, Bell is producing the AH-1Z and UH-1Y Super Cobra for the US Marine Corps.

Recently, Transport Canada and the US FAA certified the Bell 429, a commercial light twin helicopter certified to the latest certification basis. This aircraft has already generated a great deal of interest in the emergency medical services (EMS) and corporate market segments.

The Brunei Times