Bell Helicopter is laying plans to build the 407GXP in China. In a framework agreement signed today on November 1 at Airshow China in Zhuhai, the U.S. manufacturer and Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Co. Ltd. (SAIDC) and Xi’an Helicopter Company Ltd. intend to form a joint venture for the assembly and resale of the single-engine rotorcraft to government and government-related customers in China.
The companies are now set to negotiate a five-year agreement under which the new company would purchase 100 of the 407GXP model. These will mainly be configured for emergency medical and law enforcement missions in China. The new assembly line will be located at Xi’an in the north central province of Shaanxi.
SAIDC was founded in June 2014 and serves as a platform for the Shaanxi provincial government to invest in the aviation sector. Xi’an Helicopter has been involved in emergency medical services since 2014, and has since expanded in the fields of fire fighting, power line and petrol pipeline inspection.
“Bell Helicopter is pleased to have established a significant relationship in China that is intended to develop a wide range of capabilities from assembly to comprehensive customer support,” said executive vice president Patrick Moulay. “As a reliable and multi-use aircraft, there continues to be strong demand for the Bell 407GXP in China and around the globe, and we are proud to see such significant trust in this helicopter.”
Xioning Yuan, president of SAIDC parent company Shaanxi Energy Group added: “We are very optimistic to establish the cooperation with Bell Helicopter, which has 80 years experience of manufacturing helicopters. The cooperation will bring advanced technology and vitality to our helicopter market and improve the service quality of the helicopter industry in China. We believe that the Bell 407GXP’s performance, safety characteristics and operating economics makes it the right helicopter for the Chinese market.”
Separately, Bell announced an expansion of its productivity support network in China with the appointment of Zhenjiang Aerochine Aviation to run a new customer service facility at Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province. Part 145-approaved Aerochine already operates a 5,200 sq ft facility providing maintenance for the 407 helicopter.