Bell Textron to supply helicopter for Kuwait air ambulance
The aircraft will be leased to the Ministry of Health by Kuwait International Aircraft Leasing
Kuwait International Aircraft Leasing (KIAL) has signed a purchase agreement with aircraft manufacturer Bell Textron Inc. for the supply of one Bell 429 GlobalRanger helicopter, scheduled for delivery by August 2022.
The aircraft will be subsequently leased to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health for the provision of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) and will be the third of its type operated by the ministry.
“We’re delighted to add to our fleet of 429s, since we are very familiar with the aircraft’s excellent performance in our hot environment and its ability to quickly move patients from emergency scenes to our medical facilities,” said Capt. Jassem Buqamber, Kuwait’s Air Ambulance Commander.
Bell 429 GlobalRanger – what are the specs?
The helicopter is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW200 series engines and has a speed of 155 knots (287km/h), with a maximum range of 761.2km. The aircraft interior has a useful load of 1,150 kg in its base configuration, with a maximum of seven passengers and one pilot.
The aircraft cockpit is equipped with a Garmin GTN-650/750 navigation and communications system, which features graphical flight planning capabilities, high resolution terrain mapping, a Garmin GTX-33H ES transponder and two VHF communication transceivers with 10-Watt standard or 16-Watt optional transmitting power and 8.33 or 25KHz channel spacing.
“We are honored that the State of Kuwait has again selected the Bell 429 as their light twin helicopter of choice for their latest HEMS contract,” said Sameer Rehman, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector!