Bell Helicopter has successfully delivered two Bell 429s to the Jamaica Defence Force, with a third scheduled for delivery sometime next year.
The three aircraft will enable the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to undertake a wide array of missions; from search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief to national security and military training.
“We are proud to celebrate today’s delivery and strengthen our rich history with the JDF,” said Jay Ortiz, Bell’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Business in the Americas. “The Bell 429 is the most technologically advanced aircraft in its class and these modern platforms will provide the JDF with enhanced mission capabilities well into the future.”
The JDF’s helicopter operations date back to 1963 when the service took ownership of two Bell 47Gs. Today, its active fleet includes four Bell 407s, two Bell 412s and two Bell 206s.
“Over the years, our mission has evolved resulting in the need to acquire the Bell 429 to more effectively meet the demands of our mission profiles and further prove our rotary wing capability,” said Colonel Roderick Williams, the JDF’s Colonel Adjutant Quartermaster and a former Commanding Officer of the JDF Air Wing. “The Bell 429 offers excellent performance and advanced avionics with outstanding maintainability and aircraft readiness for multi-mission operations.”
The Bell 429 has been designed with the future in mind. Advanced capabilities include single pilot instrumental flight rules, Category A operations and an integrated avionics glass cockpit. The use of metallic and composite parts in its construction has also created a fine balance between rigidity and flexibility, safety and durability.
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