Bell Brings EMS 429, Armed Reconnaissance Helo Mock-ups to Show
With first flight slated for next year and certification planned for the year after, Bell Helicopter is accelerating its efforts to break the 100-mark for preliminary orders for the twin-engine Bell 429 helicopter. Here at the show the company is displaying a full-scale mock-up of the $3.95 million aircraft in emergency medical services configuration adjacent to its Row A chalet. The 429 will feature advanced main rotor blades, electronics, autopilot and hydraulics, and it promises a maximum speed of 142 kts. The EMS version will boast a 2,700-pound useful load and cargo hook capacity of 2,800 lbs, carrying two patients and two attendants on a flat floor.
Also here at the show is a full-scale mock-up of Bell’s entrant in the U.S. Army’s competition for an armed reconnaissance helicopter. Called the Bell ARH, the helicopter is a militarized version of the single-engine Bell 407, designed to provide armed reconnaissance, light attack, troop insertion and special operations missions. The Army is expected to select a contractor in July, purchasing 368 helicopters during fiscal year 2006 through 2011. Other static displays here include an articulated model of the Bell Eagle Eye UAV and a one-tenth-scale articulated version of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. — John Croft
