Bell Textron
(Redirected from
Bell Helicopter
)
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Bell Textron Inc. is an American
.History
Bell Aircraft
The company was founded on July 10, 1935, as
In 1941, Bell hired
government contracts. The Bell 30 was their first full-size helicopter (first flight December 29, 1942) and the Bell 47 became the first helicopter in the world rated by a civil aviation authority, becoming a civilian and military success.[3]
Due to its burgeoning success, the helicopter division relocated as a separate unit to Hurst, Texas in 1951.
Bell Helicopter
UH-1 Huey during the Vietnam War, it had established itself as the largest division of Textron. In January 1976, Textron changed the division's name to Bell Helicopter Textron.[4]
Bell Helicopter had a close association with
Bell planned to reduce employment by 760 in 2014 as fewer V-22s were made.[6] A rapid prototyping center called XworX assists Bell's other divisions in reducing development time.[7]
The company was rebranded as "Bell" on February 22, 2018.[8]
Product list
Established in 1986, its Mirabel, Quebec facility assembles and delivers most of Bell's commercial helicopters and delivered its 5,000th helicopter on December 12, 2017.[9]
Commercial helicopters
| Model | Intro. | Until | MTOW (lb/t) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 47 | 1946 | 1974 | 2,950 | 1.34 | based on the Bell 30 prototype, piston engine |
| Bell 47J Ranger | 1956 | 1967 | 2,950 | 1.34 | Bell 47 executive variant |
| Bell 204/205 | 1959 | 1980s | 9,500 | 4.31 | Huey family civil variant, single turboshaft
|
| Bell 206 | 1967 | 2017 | 3,200 | 1.45 | light single or twin turboshaft |
| Bell 210 | ? | ? | 11,200 | 5.08 | 205B |
| Bell 212 | 1968 | 1998 | 11,200 | 5.08 | Civilian UH-1N Twin Huey
|
| Bell 214 | 1972 | 1981 | 15,000 | 6.8 | larger Huey |
| Bell 214ST | 1982 | 1993 | 17,500 | 7.94 | medium twin derived from the 214 |
| Bell 222/230 | 1979 | 1995 | 8,400 | 3.81 | light twin |
| Bell 407 | 1995 | current | 6,000 | 2.72 | four-blade single derived from the 206L-4 |
| Bell 412 | 1981 | current | 11,900 | 5.4 | four-blade 212 |
| Bell 427 | 2000 | 2010 | 6,550 | 2.97 | 407 derived light twin |
| Bell 429 GlobalRanger | 2009 | current | 7,000 | 3.2 | lengthened 427 |
| Bell 430 | 1995 | 2008 | 9,300 | 4.22 | 222/230 stretch |
| Bell 525 Relentless | 2018 | current | 20,500 | 9.3 | in development |
| Bell 505 Jet Ranger X | 2017 | current | 3,680 | 1.67 | 206 development |
| Bell Nexus | 2020 | current | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | pre-production hybrid-electric propulsion system with six tilting ducted fans[10][11][12] |
Gallery
-
Bell 206B JetRanger III -
Comparison of the Bell 212 (U.S. NavyHH-1N) and 412 (Mercy Air) at the Mojave Airport -
Bell 412EP Griffin HT1 helicopter of the UK Defence Helicopter Flying School -
Bell Nexus ‘Air Taxi’ at Smithsonian in 2022 -
Bell Nexus ‘Air Taxi’ at Smithsonian in 2022
Military helicopters
- Bell H-12
- Bell H-13 Sioux
- Bell XH-15
- Bell HSL
- Bell UH-1 Iroquois (or Huey)
- Bell UH-1N Twin Huey
- Bell YHO-4
- Bell 207 Sioux Scout – experimental attack helicopter
- Bell 533 – experimental Huey variant with increased performance
- Bell AH-1 Cobra
- Bell AH-1 SeaCobra/SuperCobra
- Bell 309 KingCobra - experimental attack helicopter
- YAH-63/Model 409 – competitor with the YAH-64 for Advanced Attack Helicopter program
- Bell OH-58 Kiowa
- H-1 upgrade program
- Bell CH-146 Griffon
- Bell ARH-70 Arapaho - cancelled armed reconnaissance helicopter
- Bell 360 Invictus - proposed armed reconnaissance helicopter
Tiltrotors
- Bell XV-3
- Bell XV-15
- Bell Pointer
- Bell V-247 Vigilant – currently in development
- Bell V-280 Valor – currently in development, first flown 2017
- V-22 Osprey – with Boeing BDS
- TR918 Eagle Eye UAV
- Quad TiltRotor – with Boeing BDS
- Bell BAT (1984 tiltrotor project for LHX programme – not built)
- Bell CTR-1900 (Tilt-rotor project only – not built)
- Bell CTR-22 (Tilt-rotor project only – not built)
- Bell CTR-750 (Tilt-rotor project only – not built)
- Bell CTR-800 (Tilt-rotor project only – not built)
- Bell D-326 (Clipper 1980 commercial tilt-rotor project – not built)
Projects produced by other companies
- AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter (formerly 50-50 as the Agusta-Bell AB139, now 100% AgustaWestland)
- AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor (formerly 50-50 as the Bell-Agusta BA609, now 100% AgustaWestland)
- Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel
Unproduced designs
- Bell 280 (project only, twin-engined wide-body variant of the Cobra)
- Bell D-218
- Bell D-230 (Flying Jeep project – not built)
- Bell D-245
- Bell D-246
- Bell 400 TwinRanger (1984), cancelled 206-derived light twin
- Bell D-292 (1985), Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) prototype
- Bell 417 (2006) cancelled Bell 407 growth variant
- Bell FCX-001, March 2017 concept
Facilities
Bell manufacturing and support facilities are:
- Military
- Fort Worth, Texas - located at six manufacturing facilities throughout the DFW area; of these six the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) in Fort Worth, Texas serves as the primary manufacturing development facility of the Bell V-280 Valor, Bell 360 Invictus[13]
- Amarillo, Texas: located near Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport; assembly plant for H1, V-22[14] and 525
- Commercial
- Montreal-Mirabel International Airport; it produces components for Bell 407, 412, 429, 505 and 525; assembly plant and finally assembly for current commercial products (407, 412, 429, 505).
See also
- Leonardo Helicopters
- Airbus Helicopters
- Sikorsky Aircraft
References
- ^ "Lisa Atherton Named President and CEO of Bell". April 10, 2023.
- ^ "About Textron: Our Businesses". October 21, 2015.
- ^ a b History of Bell Helicopter Archived June 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. bellhelicopter.com
- ^ "Our History". Bell Training Academy. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
- ^ "Westland History – Part 4".
- ^ a b Oliver Johnson & Elan Head. "Bell CEO outlines European growth plan" Vertical, October 15, 2014. Accessed: October 21, 2014.
- ^ "Bell's XworX studying improved rotor blades". Aviation International News.
- ^ "Bell Drops 'Helicopter,' Unveils New Dragonfly Logo".
- ^ Mark Huber (December 13, 2017). "Bell Canada Delivers 5,000th Civil Helicopter". AIN.
- ^ "StackPath". www.intelligent-aerospace.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Goldstein, Michael. "Bell Nexus VTOL Air Taxi Makes A Splash At 2019 Consumer Electronics Show". Forbes. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "Smithsonian To Reveal the Bell Nexus 'Air Taxi' at "FUTURES"". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ "Bell Helicopter Expands Amarillo Manufacturing". news.bellflight.com/en-US/190850-bell-unveils-new-manufacturing-technology-center. August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Bell Helicopter Expands Amarillo Manufacturing". www.newschannel10.com. August 12, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Canada, Employment and Social Development (May 19, 2016). "Bell Helicopter Textron Canada relocates assembly program to Quebec". gcnws. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bell Helicopter.
- Official website
- Bell timeline at the Helicopter History Site
- Video history of Bell Helicopter
- "Patents owned by Bell Helicopter Textron". US Patent and Trademark Office. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2005.
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