• Defence Helicopter

  Bell receives Lot 15 Viper order

  28th August 2018

  Bell has received a $509 million contract modification to a previously awarded contract for the manufacture and delivery of 29 Lot 15 production AH-1Z aircraft. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army, Bell advancing micro-UAS technologies

  24th August 2018

  The US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Bell are continuing their joint effort to further advance the development of new micro UAS technologies, the army …

• Defence Helicopter

  Two Bell 429 helicopters delivered to JDF

  20th August 2018

  Bell Helicopter has delivered two Bell 429 helicopters to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). A third Bell 429 is scheduled to be delivered to the …

• Training

  FlightSafety awarded aircrew training contracts

  29th August 2018

  FlightSafety International has received Bell TH-57 and Boeing C-17 aircrew training systems and services contracts, the company announced on 24 August. As a prime contractor …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2018: Boeing geared up for Kruk decision

  5th September 2018

  Boeing remains optimistic that the Polish MoD will move forward with its attack helicopter programme by formally awarding a contract to an industry partner in 2019.  An …

• Defence Helicopter

  Legal woes hinder helicopter procurement

  8th August 2018

  Legal disputes concerning helicopter procurement processes dominated the first half of 2018 which then muddied a much broader picture of rotary successes between military operators …

• Military Logistics

  Last AH-1W Super Cobra undergoes IMP

  2nd August 2018

  The Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) Site Camp Pendleton has put the last AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter for the Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP), the FRCSW …

• Defence Helicopter

  Brazil on the attack in two decades time

  23rd July 2018

  According to the Brazilian Army, a branch of the armed forces will have to wait until the 2030s before it can operate its attack helicopters, Shephard has …

• Defence Notes

  Farnborough 2018: Show roundup (video)

  20th July 2018

  As Farnborough draws to a close, Shephard's editorial team discuss the main news stories from the week, including the unveiling of Tempest - the UK's …

• Digital Battlespace

  Farnborough 2018: GECO ready for UK helicopters

  17th July 2018

  Inzpire has been selected for the UK MoD’s Rotary-wing Cockpit Situational Awareness Tool (CSAT) programme with its GECO military air mission support system, the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Farnborough 2018: Industry competitors united on accelerating FVL timelines

  16th July 2018

  The main industry figures involved in developing the US Army’s medium lift FVL aircraft, commonly referred to as capability set 3, are working together to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sri Lanka eyes helicopter fleet modernisation

  13th July 2018

  According to local media reports, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) harbours ambitions to acquire helicopters and UAVs worth up to LKR64.8 billion ($414.7 million). …

• Defence Helicopter

  Farnborough 2018: Lord at the ready for new attack helicopter

  15th July 2018

  In June, US Army leaders announced that in five years time they hope to have two new prototype attack reconnaissance helicopters flying. With such an aggressive …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell Boeing receives CMV-22B production contract

  5th July 2018

  Bell Boeing has received a $4.19 billion contract modification for the manufacture and delivery of V-22 aircraft for the US military and the government of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Farnborough 2018: US Navy hints at Israeli V-22 package

  18th July 2018

  The US Naval Air Systems Command is hopeful it can reach an agreement with Israel for the delivery of a number of Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey …

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 ...