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Bell 214ST
DALLAS—Bell’s 214ST is set to become the latest legacy helicopter to go back into production to address global shortfalls in rotary-wing firefighting capability.
Australia’s McDermott Aviation, which owns the type certificate to the twin-engine, 8-metric-ton helicopter, is planning to produce new-build versions of the rotorcraft. It will be powered by either the General Electric CT7/T700 or Safran’s Aneto turboshaft. McDermott currently owns all 24 of the remaining operational 214STs of the 85 that were built. It has been using them on firefighting contracts, most notably in Greece, where the company had 14 aircraft deployed last year.
John McDermott, president of McDermott Aviation, said he was restarting production of the helicopter because other OEMs were offering aircraft that were “historically not suitable” for the aerial firefighting market. “So we said ‘damn it, lets build the 214ST again.’”
As part of the development work, McDermott’s engineers have already shaved weight from the aircraft, getting the empty weight down to 4.1 metric tons. The company is also working on increasing maximum gross weight to 8.2 metric tons. Other changes have been to add a new Genesys-developed avionics suite, strip the aircraft of what McDermott called “unreliable” electronics, and lowered the not-to-exceed speed (Vne) to 120 kt. (138 mph). Increased height skidded landing gear allows the aircraft to carry an under fuselage water tank, but the aircraft can also be equipped with an underslung water bucket.
In terms of payload, McDermott says the aircraft can carry up to 3,200 liters of water, equivalent to 3.2 metric tons of payload.
Among its advantages, McDermott says, is the 214ST’s ability to carry passengers such as firefighters to the scene of a fire. This is a capability that its closest competitor, the military surplus UH-60 Black Hawk, lacks because of the restricted category that prevents passenger carriage.
The first new batch of six aircraft could be made available by 2026 and would use existing transmissions and running gear held by McDermott’s company. Sales of those aircraft would then support new production and building afresh. But some elements of the helicopter’s production are complex, with the main rotor mast alone taking two years to produce, McDermott said. These are already being produced from scratch.
McDermott also hopes to offer engine options, noting that either the CT7 or the Aneto could be fitted to the aircraft. Some government customers might prefer an aircraft with a European engine over a U.S. engine, given current geopolitics, he said. McDermott’s fleet is currently powered by the CT7-2A.
“We have not got any experience of the Aneto, but everyone talks highly of it and we think it is important to provide a choice without complicating things,” McDermott said.
The 214ST was a radical growth version of Bell’s Huey family of helicopters. The platform was designed to meet the requirements of the Imperial Iranian Air Force and the program was funded by Tehran. But the Islamic Revolution of 1979 meant that none of the helicopters were ever delivered. With sanctions preventing delivery, many found their way into the commercial market, flying for several offshore operators in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Others ended up in Iraq, where they were targets for coalition bombing in the 1991 Gulf War. The 214ST had been Bell’s largest conventional helicopter until the development of the Bell 525.
McDermott’s 214ST joins a growing list of legacy types that are being returned to production. Columbia Helicopters is producing new BV234 Commercial Chinooks, while Erickson is producing new-build S-64 Aircranes from scratch rather than using old CH-54 Tarhe airframe conversions.
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