Bell 525

Bell Textron has yet to conduct ground tests needed before the Bell 525 Relentless helicopter can begin FAA function and reliability testing, the company says.

Operational trials and innovative financing are reshaping how offshore operators acquire new rotorcraft.

Portugal’s Omni Helicopters International is to put the first production 525 through a 500-hr., six-month-long trial.

Some 500 hr. of flying will take place over six months as part of the Guyana trials.

After buying new helicopters, Norway’s energy giant Equinor is supporting a newcomer to the offshore market.

New orders are rolling in, buoyed by upticks in defense spending and increased demand from the public safety, air ambulance and energy sectors.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The first Bell 525 order was one of several placed by the offshore helicopter industry at this year’s Heli-Expo.

Bell has secured its first-ever order for its fly-by-wire 525 super-medium helicopter from a Norwegian energy company.

FAA certification for Bell's fly-by-wire 525 twin-engine, super-medium helicopter is expected by mid-year, company executives say.

Offshore helicopter industry leaders tell Aviation Week about the challenges they face as growth returns after a prolonged downturn.

Speaking ahead of Singapore Airshow, a Bell executive says India is the most promising market for the company's helicopters in the Asia-Pacific region.

After years of stagnation in the commercial helicopter market, the industry is seeing the first signals of a reawakening.

An upturn in commercial deliveries marks turnaround for Bell as the long-delayed certification of the 525 helicopter nears.

Bell says the finishing line is in sight for certification of its long-delayed 525 super-medium helicopter.