Bell Textron was at the Tianjin Helicopter Expo to celebrate 40 years of helicopters operations in the Chinese market.

“In the past 40 years, the Chinese civil helicopter industry has changed tremendously, becoming the second largest civilian helicopter market in the Asia Pacific region,” says north Asia managing director Jacinto Monge. “Bell has been very proud to participate in the development of the vertical lift industry since the first aircraft orders in 1979. We are actively working with our Chinese collaborators, CAAC and other authorities to build a safe, efficient and sustainable vertical industry for China for future generations.”

From the light single engine Bell 505 and Bell 407 to the light twin engine Bell 429 and the medium-sized twin engine Bell 412, a variety of models are performing various types of missions in China every day. The world's first fly-by-wire helicopter, the super mid-size Bell 525, is on track to being ready to land in China in coming years, and the company expects this game-changer to boost the development of the safe and effective advanced operations in China.

There are approximately 180 Bell helicopters operating across China. That number is expected to grow in the coming years as Bell is scheduled to deliver new helicopters to China based on more than 200 orders that have been signed since 2017.