HELI-EXPO, Louisville, Kentucky (February 29, 2016) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announces global deliveries as part of its 2015 performance results.
In 2015, Bell Helicopter delivered 175 aircraft, a combination of its current production products as follows:
· 52 x Bell 429
· 12 x Bell 412 (EP/EPI)
· 99 x Bell 407 (GX/GXP)
· 12 x Bell 206L4
Regional deliveries include:
· 28 commercial helicopters to countries in the Pacific Rim
· 69 civil aircraft in North America
· 31 deliveries in Latin America, and
· 47 helicopters across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
The company also launched the Bell 407GXP and announced the largest helicopter order in Bell Helicopter history for 200 407GXPs to Air Methods Corporation. The first of those aircraft were delivered in January 2016.
Advancements to the Bell 412 helped secure a major win in Japan and will serve as the foundation for Japan’s Ministry of Defense UH-X development program. UH-X is a co-development program between Bell Helicopter and Fuji Heavy Industries for approximately 150 helicopters, to be delivered over the next two decades.
“2015 was a challenging year for the helicopter industry with ongoing impacts of the decline in oil and gas, continued geopolitical unrest and global economic uncertainty,” said Mitch Snyder, Bell Helicopter’s president and CEO. “Despite tough market conditions, Bell Helicopter expanded market presence and secured a number of key wins.”
Bell Helicopter’s development programs made significant progress and received impressive customer response. The Bell 525 achieved first flight in July 2015 and has accumulated nearly 80 letters of intent. The Bell 505 continued its flight test program and now has letters of intent for more than 350 aircraft. The Bell V-280 Valor program hit a major milestone last year with the delivery of the first fuselage to the Bell Helicopter facility in Amarillo, Texas. The V-280 is currently undergoing systems integration and major assemblies. First flight of the V-280 is anticipated in the second half of 2017.
On the military front, the Bell Boeing V-22 was selected for the Navy Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) program, which accounts for a planned 40 V-22s for the U.S. Navy. The company also contracted for foreign military sales for Japan for five of a potential 17 V-22s and three of potential 12 AH-1Z aircraft for Pakistan.
Bell Helicopter also added support, service and training capabilities at its Prague and Singapore locations as well as opening regional offices in Japan and Mexico, the new Bell Helicopter Training Academy in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Lafayette Assembly Center in Louisiana.
“Our customers are looking for differentiation that expands the scope of their operations,” said Snyder. “Bell Helicopter’s success last year is a testament to the value our products add to our customers’ missions. We look forward to continue working with our customers to advance existing technologies and further the future of rotorcraft.”
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About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation or deferrals of orders; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of military and commercial products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; volatility in interest rates or foreign exchange rates; risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries; performance issues with key suppliers or subcontractors; the efficacy of research and development investments to develop new products or unanticipated expenses in connection with the launching of significant new products or programs; the timing of our new product launches or certifications of our new aircraft products; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; and demand softness or volatility in the markets in which we do business.