Bell’s 525 Relentless super-medium twin continues to chip away at certification, with more than 1,000 hours logged in the air and four flight-test aircraft, but Bell CEO Mitch Snyder said the company is concentrating more on the certification process than the timeline at this point. The company had earlier expressed hopes to certify the fly-by-wire helicopter later this year.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, Snyder did not say that the helicopter was running behind the previously stated target, but that it is working with the FAA on the process. “The date is hard to nail down because it is an interactive process,” Snyder said. He added the helicopter will become the first civil fly-by-wire helicopter to win certification, which is new for the FAA.
While the FAA has come under scrutiny for its processes involving certification of the Boeing 737 Max, Snyder said he hasn’t seen a change in Bell's working relationship with the agency. Bell and the FAA have been working closely together and progress is continuing as well under Bell’s delegation authorities, he said.
Snyder was upbeat about the progress of the certification program, saying, “This is going really well. We’re progressing down a path.”
The company has four helicopters flying, three in Fort Worth, Texas, and a fourth that is anticipated to transfer soon from Amarillo, Texas, to Fort Worth. Bell still needs to finish up flight tests, including certification flights, and lab testing.
Snyder was encouraged that interest is growing for the model. “When you get closer to certification, that’s when customer interest starts to peak,” he said, adding prospective customers have been visiting Bell to discuss potential contracts. The 525 is drawing interest from the oil-and-gas market, as well as VVIP and search-and-rescue operators.
But Snyder expects a search-and-rescue option will follow behind oil-and-gas and VVIP. In fact, the fourth flying helicopter has been fitted in an oil-and-gas configuration. While acknowledging the financial woes of major oil-and-gas operators, Snyder said the 525 is drawing interest from a number of such operators and expressed belief that the ones who entered bankruptcy protection will eventually emerge and continue to operate and need aircraft.
In addition to the civilian 525, Bell is transferring some of the technology for its entry into the U.S. Army’s upcoming Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition. Bell recently was selected as one of the five finalists for the FARA competition, with the field to narrow to two in March 2020.
The aircraft also is incorporating some of the systems of its V-280 tiltrotor into FARA. Bell has not yet publicly revealed its entry; Snyder said that is coming “soon.”
Bell further is in the process of obtaining U.S. single-engine IFR certification for its 407GXi light training helicopter as it continues to vie for the U.S. Navy TH-XX helicopter trainer replacement competition. Snyder believes Bell will complete certification ahead of the Navy’s requirement for IFR certification in August.
The company also is strongly focused on the VTOL segment, Snyder said. Bell earlier this year rolled out its four-passenger Nexus autonomous hybrid vehicle and has been developing a family of autonomous pod transports (APTs). With the APT, Bell has designed two variants—20-pound and 70-pound—but is now contemplating a larger variant.
Snyder stressed that the vertical takeoff and lift segment is the area where Bell is looking for future products, but he does foresee safety-enhancing technologies transferring over to its legacy helicopters.