Agusta-Bell AB-212

The static park at the International Sanicole Airshow 2025 will come to life thanks to the Austrian air force with a rare appearance by a helicopter that will soon be replaced by more modern machines: the Agusta-Bell AB-212.

The AB-212 is a license-built variant of the famous UH-1 Huey, which served in such great numbers in US Army service during the Vietnam war. The key difference is that the AB-212 is equipped with 2 engines, offering redundancy and greater power especially in hot conditions and at higher altitude, more modern avionics and a slightly different fuselage. Unlike the AB-412 we saw at Sanicole during Dutch SAR-demonstrations in the past, thee AB-212 did retain the classic two-rotor design.

In Austria, the AB-212 is mainly used for transport missions, parachute drops, search and rescue missions and forest firefighting. 23 of these magnificent machines are in service, mainly at Vogler air base near Linz. They are nearing the end of their active service life and will be replaced by new UH-60 Blackhawks, complementing those already in Austrian service.

This is very likely your last chance to see this type in Belgium before it leaves service so take this opportunity to meet the crews and admire this remarkable machine up-close.