• Defence Helicopter

  Bell 407GXi issued FAA instrument rating

  19th August 2019

  The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an instrument flight rules (IFR) supplemental type certificate for the Bell 407GXi, a requirement for the helicopter …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2019: Poland breathes life into Kruk programme again

  19th August 2019

  The Polish MoD plans to launch the long-touted tender for the procurement of 32 attack helicopters under the so-called Kruk programme. The multi-billion project is …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2019: Step in the right direction for Czech helo plans

  19th August 2019

  The Czech Republic is poised to select a new armed helicopter to replace the current Mi-24/35 Hind fleet, before the end of the year. At …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell Helicopter receives H-1 gearbox order

  24th July 2019

  Bell Helicopter has received an order for H-1 aircraft gear box assemblies from the US Defense Logistics Agency Aviation. The award was announced by the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell Helicopter receives contract modification

  17th July 2019

  Bell Helicopter has received a contract modification from the US Defense Logistics Agency Aviation for UH-1N and TH-1H helicopter assemblies, the US Department of Defense …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lack of IFR certification not scaring contenders for US naval trainer

  11th July 2019

  Despite instrument flight rules (IFR)-capable operations being a key requirement in the US Navy’s TH-XX trainer helicopter programme, two of the main contenders have yet …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Fire Scout reaches IOC with US Navy

  10th July 2019

  The MQ-8C Fire Scout has reached initial operational capability with the US Navy, clearing the way for fleet operations and training to begin. The MQ-8 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Bell hints at bad timing for V-22 export sales

  25th June 2019

  The September 2020 deadline imposed by V-22 Osprey manufacturers Bell and Boeing, for international customers to place orders or letters of agreement for the tiltrotor, …

• Defence Helicopter

  GKN delivers thermoplastic parts for V-280 Valor

  25th June 2019

  GKN Aerospace has delivered thermoplastic parts to Bell Helicopter for integration into the V-280 Valor tiltrotor.   The parts include a pair of thermoplastic composite, induction-welded …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australia kicks off Tiger replacement effort

  10th July 2019

  The Australian Army has begun its search for a successor to the troubled Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), with an RfI issued by the Capability …

• Defence Notes

  Philippine Air Force anticipates new assets

  4th July 2019

  The Philippine Air Force (PAF) celebrated its 72nd anniversary at the Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base on 2 July, and its commanding general Lt Gen …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Boeing foreshadows V-22 line closure

  10th June 2019

  It is ‘final call’ at the last chance saloon for any new or existing customers considering buying or purchasing more V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, according …

• Training

  TRU unveils Canadian FAcT strategy

  31st May 2019

  TRU Simulation + Training has announced that it is offering aircraft and synthetic training equipment to a number of the bidders on the Royal Canadian …

• Training

  Exercise Bell Buoy 19 trains MTOs

  30th May 2019

  More than 60 maritime trade operations (MTO) officers from ten navies have participated in the 2019 edition of the annual exercise Bell Buoy, the Royal …

• Defence Helicopter

  USMC weighs up FVL options

  29th May 2019

  The USMC is keeping a close eye on FVL developments as it holds out, for the time being, on a specific acquisition process for a …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412EPI add-on [Indonesia]

  Programme Background The Indonesian Aerospace PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) was assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung. The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to the ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Bell 407GX [Iraq]

  Programme Background Between 2009 and 2015 Iraq was supplied with at 26 Bell 407s as part of the reconstruction of the Iraqi Air Force. The ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412EP [Zambia]

  Programme Background  In January 2025, the US State Department approved an FMS of Bell 412EP helicopters along with the necessary training and logistical support services ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (Jordan)

  Programme Background Requirement The Jordanian Air Force has a requirement for training helicopters that are to be used in the King Hussein Air College. The country ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2018, the US Army initiated the FARA project to develop a replacement for Army attack and scout helicopters, such as the OH-58D Kiowa and AH-64 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412 Replacement (1-9) [Norway]

  Programme Background Although Norway has a long-stated ambition of reducing its helicopter fleet to a single type in order to reduce costs and simplify support ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-1Y [Romania]

  Programme Background The Romanian MoD has a long-standing requirement for new rotary platforms, including troop transport, supply and attack configurations. According to the the Romanian Military ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Huey II

  The last announced contract, valuing at $19 million, was awarded to Bell by US Army to supply Lebanon Air Force with there furnished Huey IIs ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Kruk / AH-64E Apache [Poland]

  Programme Background In May 2019, Wojciech Skurkiewicz, the Polish deputy defence, released some details on the helicopter programme. Part of Poland's broader defence modernisation plan, the tender ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW169M (Austria)

  The aircraft was selected ahead of two light twin platforms – the Bell 429 and H145M - as it represented the best option for Vienna ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412EPI

  Introduced in 2013, the Bell 412EPI is the latest production standard for Bell's venerable 412 family of utility helicopters. The 412EPI has a fully integrated ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505

  The Bell 505 is a light, single-engine helicopter initially designed for the utility, executive/passenger and law enforcement markets produced by Bell Textron. The Montenegrin Air ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412EPX

  The Bell 412EPX is a utility helicopter manufactured by Subaru. This platform improves upon the UH-1J/412-series helicopters. It has enhanced safety, performance, visibility, maintainability and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  525 Relentless

  Bell Helicopter announced in February 2012 that it was developing the Model 525 Relentless. The aircraft is designed primarily for the oil and gas industry ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 412EP

  The Bell 412EP/CH-146 is a twin-engine, medium support helicopter derived from the Model 212/Twin Huey, produced by Bell in Canada. The 412EP was introduced in 1994. ...

• Helicopter engines

  T53

  The T53 is a turboshaft engine, designed for use on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. More than 19,000 T53-series engines have been produced to date, powering ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Bell 407/407M

  The 407 aircraft, unveiled by Bell Helicopters Textron in 1995, is an outgrowth of the 206L-4 LongRanger design, outfitted with a four-bladed main rotor with a ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 212/UH-1N Twin Huey

  The UH-1N Twin Huey is a twin-engine, medium utility helicopter developed in 1968-69 from the single-engine Bell 205/UH-1H by Bell and Pratt & Whitney Canada. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 206L-4 LongRanger

  The Bell 206L-4 LongRanger belongs to the LongRanger family, which is derived from the Bell 206B model. The aircraft is primarily a civil helicopter with ...

• Helicopter engines

  CT7 Family

  GE Aviation's CT7 turboshaft and turboprop engines power 25 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, with more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Interior equipment

  Dart Aerospace designs and manufactures skidtubes (using round I-beam technology), crosstubes, lightweight steps, bearpaws, emergency stretcher kits, shoulder harnesses, aircraft disabling devices, baskets, mirrors, spacedoors, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  HSVTOL

  Bell, a subsidiary of Textron, revealed on 2 August 2021 the High-Speed VTOL (HSVTOL) UAS. According to Bell, the developmental UAS combines the hover capability of a ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  407GT

  The Bell 407GT is the armed version of the Bell 407GX and is qualified for a range of weapons, from light to advanced laser-guided munitions. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 360 Invictus

  The Bell 360 Invictus was the company's prototype for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.  The helicopter features retractable weapon bays, two ...