Every July, wildfires sweep through Montenegro’s forestland, destroying endangered terrain and threatening people’s lives. When more than half of Montenegro’s ecosystem consists of vast woodland and mountains, the need for a reliable aircraft to help combat severe wildfires is imperative. For the Montenegro Air Force, that’s the Bell 412 EPi.

As the only active in-country operator with aerial firefighting capabilities, the Montenegro Air Force heavily depends on their two Bell 412 EPis to navigate in challenging conditions throughout the country. Over this past summer, the Montenegro Air Force spent more than 200 flight hours on firefighting operations.

“When we were looking to develop our emergency services fleet, our top priority was choosing an aircraft that is reliable. For us, the Bell 412 EPi exceeds expectations and allows us to complete life-saving missions with certainty,” said Lieutenant Nenad Dubljevic, Bell 412 pilot, Montenegro Air Force, “During a wildfire outbreak in the Kučke Mountains this past March, we spent various flight hours over a period of two weeks fighting fires. During this mission, the temperature was below zero degrees Celsius, and the closest water source was a frozen lake. The Bell 412 EPi was not only able to navigate through both high and low mountainous altitudes but allowed us to pick up 1,500 liters of water to successfully combat the fires.”