Bell 412 helicopter to arrive in Guyana on Saturday

The Bell 412 helicopter which Guyana purchased from the United States (U.S) State Department as part of a foreign military sale will arrive in Guyana on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

This is according to Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira. She made the disclosure during the consideration of the 2021 budget estimates on Tuesday.

Teixeira said monies have been allocated for the construction of a lounge at the Air Corps at Timerhi, where the helicopter would be housed.

Monies for the purchase of the helicopter were set aside in the 2020 budget after the State Department approved the sale of Bell 412EPi and 429 Helicopters to the Government of Guyana.

The government went ahead and purchased the Bell 412Epi as part of strengthening the capacity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to conduct aerial operations.

The helicopter will also be used to conduct maritime surveillance and patrol, search and rescue, interdiction, counter-narcotic trafficking, and transnational criminal organisations.

The Bell 412Epi specifically has a range of 672km and is a modernised, four-bladed version of the UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. It is often used for police roles, as well as offshore oil rig worker and military troop transportation.