Nine companies committed themselves to buying the revolutionary Bell-Boeing 609 tiltrotor at Paris yesterday. First deliveries are in 2001.
Bell-Boeing chiefs say the tiltrotor that can land on a tennis court will lead to a new way to travel. "Once the military show what the V-22 tiltrotor can do, there will be a rush to our door," says Webb Joiner, chairman of Bell Helicopter Textron.
The V-22 is Bell-Boeing's first tiltrotor aircraft which is now being developed for US military forces.
Conservative
Market research projecting worldwide sales of 1,000 tiltrotors is "conservative", says Joiner.
Bell-Boeing's partner in the tiltrotor programme is equally bullish about the prospects, with Jim Evatt, executive vice-president for business development at Boeing Defence and Space Group, saying the 609 will set 'new standards' and that there is "…enthusiastic support from a long list of potential customers."
Commitments
A mockup of the revolutionary tiltrotor, that takes off like a helicopter and then flies like a conventional fixed wing aircraft, is on display at Paris.
Bell-Boeing announced that 29 customer commitments had been secured from AeroValls, Canadian Helicopter Corporation, Evergreen Helicopters, Helicopter Services Group, Helitech DTY, Lloyd's Investments, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Petroleum Helicopters and an unnamed Middle East customer, who will be announced today.
Source: Flight Daily News
