Ebrahim Raisi's death in chopper crash: All about US-made Bell-212 helicopter that Iran President was on

A Bell 212 helicopter carrying Iran's President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister crashed on Sunday while flying through mountains in dense fog, according to Iranian official media. 

The civilian version of the ubiquitous Vietnam War-era UH-1N “Twin Huey,” they are in wide use globally by both governments and private operators.

As an improvement on the original UH-1 Iroquois, Bell Helicopter (now Bell Textron, a company of Textron Inc., opens new tab) created the aircraft for the Canadian military in the late 1960s. With two turboshaft engines instead of one, the new design could carry more weight. According to U.S. military training materials, the helicopter was debuted in 1971 and was rapidly accepted by both the United States and Canada.

The Bell 212, as a utility helicopter (UH under its military name), is designed to be adaptable to a variety of circumstances, including carrying passengers, deploying aerial firefighting apparatus, ferrying goods, and mounting weaponry.

The Iranian model that crashed on Sunday was configured to carry government passengers. Bell Helicopter promotes the latest model, the Subaru Bell 412, for police, medical transport, military transport, the energy industry, and firefighting. According to the type certification documentation filed with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, it can transport 15 passengers, including the crew.

Non-military groups who fly the Bell 212 include the Japanese Coast Guard, law enforcement and fire departments in the United States, Thailand's national police, and many others. It is unclear how many aircraft Iran's government operates, however FlightGlobal's 2024 World Air Forces directory lists ten for the air force and navy.