Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) today concluded a contract with the Japanese Ministry of Defense to develop a prototype of the next-gen...
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) today concluded a contract with the Japanese Ministry of Defense to develop a prototype of the next-generation utility helicopter (UH-X) for the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
FHI will co-develop with Bell Helicopter an advanced variant of the Bell Helicopters 412EPI, the latest model of the Bell 412 series with proven reliability and versatility which is used in search and rescue missions.
The UH-X will be used for island defense and disaster relief efforts with deployment beginning in 2021.
FHI plans to make maximum use of its original technologies, including metal surface treatment technologies as well as highly efficient production technologies mastered as a supplier to Boeing's commercial aircraft program.
Japan plans to order 150 of these multi-purpose helicopters to replace JGSDF's current fleet of UH-1J aircraft.
The UH-1J was an improved Japanese version of the Bell Helicopters UH-1H built under license in Japan by Fuji with improvements including a new Allison T53-L-703 turboshaft engine providing 1,343 kW (1,800 shp), a vibration-reduction system, infrared countermeasures, and a night-vision-goggle (NVG) compatible cockpit..
The Fuji-Bell UH-X helicopter will be manufactured at the FHI facility in Utsunomiya, Japan.
The Bell 421EPI is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 Twin Pac® engines with approximately 15% increase in hot day take-off power enabling improved performance, especially single-engine capability.
