Bell Helicopter is here in Singapore displaying several rotorcraft, including: the new 407GXP; a 429 light twin with executive interior; a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor; a 505 mock-up with full interior; and the super-medium twin 525 “Relentless” cockpit simulator– the first time the 525 simulator has been displayed in Asia.
Bell has an ongoing campaign to show its technological leadership, according to the company’s new CEO, Mitch Snyder. “You’ll see increased emphasis on innovation. I mean that in terms of leaps in technology not just incremental movements in products, processes, and services,” Snyder told AIN.
Bell (Stand Q01) continues to do well in the Asia Pacific market, said Patrick Moulay, Bell senior v-p sales and marketing. Moulay pointed to several recent wins for Bell in the region including a $3.2 billion deal with Fuji announced in July for 150 UH-X helicopters for the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The new helicopter will be based on the Bell 412 EPi.
Japan also ordered the V-22, which represents the first foreign military sales of the tiltrotor. Overall, orders from the region were up 10-15 percent in 2015 compared to a year ago, Moulay said, and he characterized the region as a “continued growth market for us.
“We have not seen any slowdown, whatsoever. China has had its ups and downs this past year, but it has been a pretty good year for us in China as well. Asia is a focus for the company. It is where we see some of the biggest long-term potential, and that is where we want to focus in the coming years.”
Moulay said the workhorse 412 medium twin continues to be popular in the region, with eight delivered last year to the Philippine Air Force, ahead of schedule. “We see much more potential for the 412 in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, and we see more requests coming our way. It is particularly suited for those emerging markets like Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand,” he said.
Moulay also sees a growing market for the 407GXP thanks to its new high/hot capabilities. “We just sold the first GXP into India and completed the first demo tour through Asia. It helped us show customers how the GXP can perform at high altitudes. For many years the perception from the market has been that the [Airbus H125] has been the best performer in high altitudes, but frankly, with the GXP we believe that we have a better aircraft now for our customers’ high-altitude missions.”
Moulay said Bell is looking at innovative ways to support its customers worldwide, including moving away from the “simple sale of spare parts” to “a more turnkey solution where we stand alongside our customers during the lifecycle of the product.” Moulay said Bell would be making a specific announcement on programs in this regard later this year. “We want to get closer to a guaranteed cost of operation, a guaranteed DOC [direct operating cost],” he said.
The executive added that Bell’s Singapore maintenance hub, established two years ago, is up and running with all the necessary certifications from country aviation authorities in the region. He said Bell is contemplating establishing a training academy there, modeled after the one the company established recently in Valencia, Spain. “We definitely want to have a training center in Asia, closer to our customers,” he said.
Bell is making good progress on its new helicopter programs, he explained–highlighting the 505 light single and the 525 super-medium twin.
Jet Ranger X
Bell is now aiming to have its new short-light single Model 505 Jet Ranger X certified in the first half of this year and plans a very fast production ramp up that could grow to 200 helicopters per year by 2018, according to program manager David Smith. Through the first week in December, Bell held 354 letters of intent for 505s.
“We feel very confident that we will be able to sustain 200 aircraft a year [production] for a considerable period of time even in this market,” Smith told AIN. He added that some accessory kits for the aircraft are already in flight test. “We’ve got the first round of kits mostly mature and in certification testing, many are installed on the third test aircraft and include Htaws, synthetic vision, a second VHF com, ELT, and standby altimeter.
“Those are very close to being certified. There are a slew of kits just behind that including HF antennas and a second integrated navcom, and we are working with the makers of autopilot systems and emergency floats.”
Smith continued: “Our corporate customers really like to fly over water and many of them are used to flying with autopilots that make flying cross-country more comfortable and manageable. Those are areas we are really focused on, and our follow-on kits will meet the customers’ needs coming right out of the factory.” Air conditioning will be available on all factory deliveries and can also be retrofitted, he added.
525 Testing “Ahead of Plan”
Test flying of the new super medium Bell 525 Relentless twin is “ahead of plan” according to Larry Thimmesch, vice president of the 525 program. He said a second 525 flight test vehicle (FTV2) joined the effort late last year and that the program remains on track for certification in 2017. Eventually there will be five test aircraft.
Through the end of last year Bell held 75 letters of intent from customers, the majority coming from the offshore energy services industry. Bell has yet to formally release a price for the aircraft, however.