Brazil donates two Bell 206 to Uruguay
The Marinha do Brasil (Brazilian Navy) is set to donate two IH-6B (Bell 206B-3) helicopters to Uruguay. This gift was initiated by Brazilian's president Luiz Inacío (Lula) da Silva who sent a bill to this effect to congress on 7 May 2025.
Currently, the Brazilian navy is in the process of replacing the obsolete Bell 206B-3s with brand new Airbus H125 helicopters, referred to as IH-18 by the navy. The first of fifteen was handed over by Airbus subsidiary Helibras mid-April to training unit HI-1 (Primeiro Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Instrução).
The fleet of Jet Rangers has therefore become redundant. In fact, four of these machines, registered N-5038, N-5042, N-5047, and N-5050 are being auctioned off for scrap later this month. The first Bell 206 was taken on charge in 1974 and the number in service will steadily decrease when more H125s become available.
photo: Erwin van Dijkman