Despite a stagnant global market for rotorcraft, Bell Helicopter is staying positive, with chief executive John Garrison delivering a bullish message to reporters at Paris this morning.
“We are investing to win,” he said, “we are taking a long-term perspective on the business.”
Bell is “making significant investments” in both people and products, says Garrison, including two new clean-sheet civil helicopters, the super-medium 525 Relentless and the light single 505 Jet Ranger X.
First flight of the 525 is scheduled for the coming weeks, having slipped from its initial target of late 2014.
That deadline was “very aggressive”, says Garrison, “given the complexity of the aircraft and the new technology we are introducing”.
The slippage, which also sees service entry slide into 2017, is caused by issues with the supply chain and the regulatory challenges around certification of the Relentless’s fly-by-wire controls.
“Certain aspects of aircraft one required us to do more paperwork and that’s taken longer than originally forecast,” he says.
Two Jet Ranger X prototypes are now flying, with one due to transfer in the coming days to Colorado to perform hot and high testing.
Tentative orders for the Turbomeca Arrius 2R-engined 505 have now passed the 350 mark, says Garrison.
Source: Flight Daily News
