The Montenegro Air Force has taken delivery of the first of two Bell 505 helicopters from Bell Textron Inc. in a ceremony at the ‘Knjaz Danilo’ air base in Podgorica.
The September 15 delivery comes after the Montenegro government announced it had set aside 3.2 million euro for the helicopter purchase at the beginning of the year. Bell said the technical acceptance occurred in July at Bell Prague. The company also added that the second aircraft is expected to be delivered in January 2021.
These new aircraft will be used to train the Montenegrin military in the area. Bell provided training for three pilots with HeliDeal, a certified training facility for 505 pilot training located in Southern France. In addition to pilot training, the deal includes engineer and technician training in Prague.
Bell 505 includes the latest integrated Garmin avionics suite and dual channel FADEC, providing increased situational awareness and safety allowing pilots to focus on training.
“Bell aircraft, which are unique in the Western Balkans, are the best choice for Montenegrin Armed Forces,” said Predrag Bošković, Minister of Defence, Montenegro Air Force. “It will provide excellent training to our pilots and opportunities to perform various tasks, but perhaps the most important is supporting civil institutions.”
The Bell 505s were manufactured by Bell Textron Canada at its facility in Mirabel, Quebec. The sale was facilitated by the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) through a government-to-government contract.
