Bell Helicopter remains upbeat about its prospects in the Asia-Pacific rotorcraft market despite notable weakness in the oil and gas segment.
The US helicopter maker sees opportunities in the region to sell helicopters for para-public missions such as emergency medical services (
“The majority of our business is going to centre around parapublic missions in this environment,” Sameer Rehman, managing director of Bell Helicopter Asia Pacific.
“Aircraft in the Asia-Pacific will be used for saving lives. It's no longer acceptable to deliver an aircraft that does only one thing. It needs to do law enforcement, transport, and
Rehman spoke at a media briefing held in the company’s Singapore
The Textron Aviation unit will have a major presence at the show. It will have the Bell 429 and 407GX on static display, as well as mock-up of its developmental Bell 505. It will also have a two-seat simulator for the Bell 525 Relentless at its stand.
In addition, the US Marine Corps will bring three Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt rotors, which will appear on static.
Rehman readily acknowledges weakness in the oil & gas segment – the key mission for which the fly-by-wire Bell 525 was designed. “Given where we are with the price of oil, it's not going to be a market where we're going to delivery a lot of helicopters into the oil & gas market.”
“Bell's experience since oil fell below $50 a barrel has been fairly unsubstantial,” he says. “The Bell 525 is coming out late enough in the game where we're hedged against the movement of the market. Besides, oil and gas companies have multi-year plans in place to offset these ups and downs in the market.”
Though Rehman did not name specific competitors, he was alluding to the super-medium Airbus Helicopters H175 and AgustaWestland AW189, whose arrival in the market coincided with profound weakness in their primary market, offshore oil and gas.
The 8.8t Bell 525, meanwhile, is only like to be certificated in 2017. Rehman believes the type is eminently well suited to the region’s
"We don't want this helicopter to go to everyone,” he says. “We want heads of state, heads of corporations, and captains of industry to take the 525 to the next level. That really is our market segment. It's not a substitute for the 429, but a class setting experience for those who have never experienced a super medium twin."
At the other end of the market, Rehman says that there are 70 letters of intent in Asia-Pacific for the Bell 505 light single. It is also pitching it as a military trainer in the region, namely for South Korea’s 40 helicopter
Rehman adds that Bell is coming off a good 2015, with deliveries in the region rising 23% from 2014.
The year saw it deliver eight Bell 412EPIs ahead of schedule to the Philippine air force. More crucially, it teamed up with Fuji Heavy Industries to win the Japan Ground Self Defence Force’s requirement UH-X for 150 helicopters. The deal will see a modified version of the venerable Bell 412 enter service in 2021, replacing the services UH-1Js.
The year also so Japan order five V-22s for $332 million, becoming the first foreign customer for the type. Overall, Tokyo could take up to 17 V-22s.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
