Bell has delivered seven of its 407GXi turbine single-engine helicopters to Australian customers in the last 12 months. Five were purchased by Nautilus Aviation for tourism and utility flights, with the remaining two going to a utility company and a corporate customer. There are now more than 20 Bell 407 helicopters operating in Australia.
Worldwide, Bell has delivered more than 1,600 model 407s, logging six million flight hours across the fleet on flight training, military, tourism, para-public, and other operations. The 407GXi is equipped with the Garmin G1000H NXi flight deck and its three-axis autopilot recently received certification from the UK CAA. The system is equipped with a stability augmentation system to automatically recover the aircraft to near-level flight attitude at all speeds in the event of adverse roll or pitch; stability engagement throughout all phases of flight; and envelope protection to prevent over- and underspeed.
Bell recently announced its intention to offer an armed version of the 407. The 407M can be fitted with a range of armaments and equipment to carry out reconnaissance, special operations, light-attack, anti-piracy, medical evacuation, combat search and rescue, and humanitarian aid disaster relief missions. Various levels of capability are available through the U.S. government’s foreign military sales program or direct commercial sales, depending on country requirements.