Features EMS
Bell Textron delivers Bell 505 to Uganda

Bell Textron Inc. announced the delivery of a Bell 505 helicopter to BAR Aviation in Uganda.

The helicopter is equipped with the Med-Pac Inc. LLC Emergency Medical Services Lite Interior and marks being both the first Bell 505 in Uganda and the first 505 helicopter for medical evacuation missions in Africa.

BAR Aviation is an Ugandan aviation company that offers a range of services, among them, providing air medical evacuation services to support communities and connect them to life-saving medical support. The Bell 505 will support the work of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism, and the police.

The Med-Pac EMS Lite Interior offers a carbon fiber deck, back wall equipment rack, oxygen tank and medical supply bag. The stretcher system can be installed in less than 15 minutes with the 505’s easily removable seats and flat floor. The Bell 505 is the only current production short light single-engine helicopter that can fit a stretcher system.

With a speed of 125 knots (232 kilometers per hour) and a useful load of 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), the Bell 505 is designed to be safe and easy to fly while providing unmatched value to the operator.

“We are proud to accept the delivery of the first Bell 505 in Uganda,” said Barak Orland, chief executive officer, BAR Aviation in a release. “We saw the need and importance of having an evacuation helicopter in the country that helps give the citizens of Uganda the best chances of survival in the critical golden hour. The Bell 505 is an excellent aircraft for the job with state-of-the-art safety features and avionics that allow the pilots to reach their destinations quickly and safely.”