MASTER AGREEMENT CREATES FOUNDATION FOR EXPANDED STATE AVIATION CAPABILITY

Bell Textron has announced that Texas A&M Forest Service — the lead wildfire and forest management organisation in Texas — has placed an order for two SUBARU Bell 412EPX medium-twin helicopters under a master purchasing agreement that includes options for additional aircraft. The order represents the first Bell aircraft to enter the Texas A&M Forest Service fleet and forms the first element of what the agency’s Fire Chief describes as an emerging state-managed wildfire aviation programme that will give Texas greater control over the timing, positioning and deployment of its own fire suppression aircraft.

Jared Karns, Fire Chief for Texas A&M Forest Service, said protecting lives and property was a priority in Texas and that the agreement was the first of many steps to develop a state aviation programme that would help keep Texas prepared. Lane Evans, Bell’s Managing Director of North American Sales, said the SUBARU Bell 412EPX was a modern and capable multi-mission solution that continued to deliver the power, flexibility and dependability operators needed for critical missions, and that Bell was proud to support Texas A&M Forest Service as the agency expanded its aviation capabilities to protect communities and natural resources across the state.

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATION AND MISSION EQUIPMENT

The SUBARU Bell 412EPX is a medium-twin helicopter designed for operational flexibility across a broad range of mission types including public safety, firefighting, law enforcement and medical operations. Each aircraft ordered by Texas A&M Forest Service will be equipped with a hoist for rescue operations and a belly tank for firefighting, configuring the aircraft for the primary mission profiles the agency carries out across the state. The helicopter has a combined maximum internal weight of 12,200 pounds, an external load capacity of 13,000 pounds and is capable of lifting 5,000 pounds on a cargo hook, providing considerable payload flexibility for mission equipment, crew and water-carrying apparatus. The 412EPX features an advanced avionics suite and an adaptable cabin that allows rapid reconfiguration between mission roles.

Texas A&M Forest Service provides air support to homeowners, forest landowners, local communities and fire departments across Texas, with the state’s geography — spanning diverse ecosystems from piney woods in the east to scrubland and grassland in the west — creating highly variable wildfire risk profiles. The transition from reliance on contracted aerial resources to a state-managed fleet gives the agency direct operational control over where aircraft are pre-positioned ahead of forecast fire conditions and how rapidly they can be deployed when fires ignite, reducing the response time advantage that contracted resources from other regions may be unable to match.