Huey Still Going Strong with First Flight for Canadian Air Forces | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sun, Jun 30, 2024

Huey Still Going Strong with First Flight for Canadian Air Forces

Griffon Upgrade Program Keeps a Legend Around for a Few Decades More

The first of the Royal Canadian Air Force's new CH-146 Griffon Helicopters has taken flight, proving that the modern iteration of the legendary UH-1 Huey helicopter still has what it takes to make some sales.

Five months ago, the RCAF awarded an In-Service Support contract to Bell Helicopter in order to sustain their Griffon fleet through 2039. The Griffon Limited Life Extension project will upgrade and modernize their existing aircraft, essentially a lightly militarized Bell 412, with new avionics, displays, engines, and sensor suites. The Griffon is a Canadian standby, taking up a whole host of missions as a multi-use, multi-mission aircraft that can handle everything from Search & Rescue to Patrol and Response. Since getting into the fleet the CH-146 has logged more than half a million flight hours, proving out the legendary Vietnam-era Huey helicopter is just as good today as it was back then.

“The Bell 412 remains a venerable aircraft of choice for militaries across the world, with the Royal Canadian Air Force operating the largest and best equipped militarized fleet of 412s,” said Danny Maldonado, chief commercial officer, Bell. 

“Bell is honored to continue our relationship with the Royal Canadian Air Force as they expand their mission capabilities with next generation technologies.”

“As Canada’s only helicopter manufacturer in-country, Bell is a proud partner of the Canadian Armed Forces. Our facility’s local presence provides us with the ability to work closely with the Canadian government, as well as other local customers to address their aircraft needs”, said Michael Nault, General Manager, Bell Textron Canada. “The GLLE program will help ensure that the Royal Canadian Air Force is equipped with cutting-edge defense technologies for years to come.”

FMI: www.textron.com

Advertisement

More News

KidVenture Educational Activities Lineup At EAA AirVenture 2025

Youth Explore With Hands-On Builds, RC Airplanes, Flight Sims, Much More KidVenture is located just north of the EAA Aviation Museum, at Pioneer Airport, and has arranged a myriad >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.07.25)

“About nine decades ago, Amelia Earhart was recruited to Purdue, and the university president later worked with her to prepare an aircraft for her historic flight around the >[...]

Airborne 07.07.25: Sully v Bedford, RAF Vandalism, Discovery Moving?

Also: New Amelia Search, B737 Flap Falls Off, SUN ‘n FUN Unveiling, F-16 Record Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 people by safely landing an A320 in the Hu>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.08.25)

"It is critically important for North American flight safety that Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) violations are avoided. All pilots must familiarize themselves with updates to >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 07.08.25: Joby in Dubai, Army Electra, Archer iin Abu Dhabi

Also: Hackers v Aviation, Discovery Moving?, Gogo Galileo HDX, EVE to Costa Rica Joby Aviation announced its electric air taxi successfully completed a series of VTOL wingborne tri>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC