Bell Textron has announced the sale and delivery of two Bell 505 helicopters to the Indonesian Navy. The newly acquired helicopters will be utilised as basic helicopter trainers.
“The Bell 505, which has surpassed 50,000 flight hours globally, is an excellent aircraft for training pilots to fly today’s modern aircraft with integrated glass flight decks, FADEC controlled engines, and other advanced technologies,” said Jose Jacinto Monge, managing director, Asia Pacific, Bell. “We are honored that the Indonesian Navy has selected the Bell 505 as its basic helicopter trainer, and we look forward to supporting the training of its next generation of rotorcraft pilots.”
This delivery brings the Indonesian Navy’s Bell fleet to five aircraft, which already includes three Bell 412 helicopters. More than 100 Bell helicopters are operating in the military and commercial segments in Indonesia.
With most training helicopters globally comprising light single helicopters, the Bell 505 is well suited to prepare future military pilots all around the globe to meet the myriad of challenges they will face in their missions.
The Bell 505 is Bell’s newest five-seat aircraft designed for safety, efficiency and reliability. With the latest Garmin avionics and dual channel FADEC-controlled engine, the Bell 505 is, according to Bell, the most advanced short light single aircraft on the market. There are more than 300 Bell 505s operating in 55 countries across all six continents.