Bell launches its new BELL 525 Relentless
Feb 12, 2012
A few minutes ago Bell Helicopter unveiled its brand new helicopter type, the Bell 525 "Relentless". The high-profile launch took place at the large annual American Heli-Expo exhibition in Dallas, TX, which is hosted by Helicopter Association International (HAI).
"Today, we celebrate with our customers – not only the launch of this new product – but the result of our collective efforts to define a new class of helicopter that raises the bar on innovation in the industry," said John Garrison, President & CEO, Bell Helicopter.
"The new Bell 525 Relentless is a culmination of our research and development efforts, which were informed by a representative product development panel of our customers, including PHi, an industry leader in helicopter operations. Relentlessly listening to our customers and using their feedback to provide them with the right product at the right time has been the winning combination," he continued.
"Having PHi and our other customers engage with us on this unprecedented new aircraft validates our product development strategies – placing our customers at the center of everything we do. We appreciate the collaborative spirit we share with all of our customers who have participated in this innovative process," he said.
The Bell 525 Relentless, which has been a top-secret development designated Project X until know, is a medium-size 2 crew / 16 passenger ship with two General Electric CT7-2F1 engines. The >8000 kg helicopter will have a fly-by-wire system, large Garmin G5000H touch-screen displays, a five-blade main rotor, a speed of >140 kts and a range of >400 nm. The cockpit will have a revolutionary ergonomic side-stick control for the cyclic, which provides closer access to displays and improved over-the-nose viewing. The aircraft will be built at Bell's plant in Amarillo, Texas.
Following Bell's launch of its model 525 Relentless, Eurocopter is expected to unveil its newest evolution in a few minutes.