PNP Commissions Bell 429 Chopper To Service

17 April 2018

The Philippine National Police (PNP) officially commissioned into service its first brand-new helicopter this year, with outgoing PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa gracing the occasion yesterday.

According to Dela Rosa, the PNP’s acquisition of the Bell 429 twin-engine rotary wing aircraft will greatly enhance the operational flexibility of the police by providing air support to ground troops.

“This multi-role police helicopter is designed to perform a variety of air support missions,” he said.

The supply contract was awarded on June 28, 2017 to Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas at a contract price of P435,797,548 funded from the General Appropriations Act of 2017.

The unit was delivered and inspected last April 12, three months ahead of the delivery schedule on July 5.