Aircraft
Big Win for Bell and Fuji in Japan
The Bell 412EPI twin was preferred to the new H160 from Airbus Helicopters to replace UH-1J utility helicopters.
An artist's impression of a Bell 412EPI in Japanese military markings, flying over Tokyo. (Image: Bell)
An artist's impression of a Bell 412EPI in Japanese military markings, flying over Tokyo. (Image: Bell)

In a deal potentially worth $3.2 billion, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) has selected a Bell-Fuji team to replace the fleet of 130 Bell-Fuji UH-1Js currently operated by Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF). The new helicopter, currently dubbed the UH-X, will be a modified version of the civil Bell 412EPI. The losing contender was a partnership between Kawasaki and Airbus Helicopters that offered the latter’s recently launched H160.


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