Bell sharpens focus on MAPL
Bell Helicopter Textron’s vision for a brand-new line of rotorcraft known as the modular affordable product line (MAPL) has sharpened further now that a po
Bell Helicopter Textron’s vision for a brand-new line of rotorcraft known as the modular affordable product line (MAPL) has sharpened further now that a powerplant design advertised to meet its lofty efficiency requirement is appearing on the horizon. Studies under way at Honeywell show that a family of engines using technology incorporated into the HTS900 turboshaft, developed to power a high-performance variant of the Bell 407 known as the 407X, could meet Bell’s call for 20-percent lower operating costs in the MAPL line. Scheduled for certification in the second quarter of 2006, a low-speed, 6137-rpm version of the HTS900 began running last November. Bell planned to deliver the first ground-test engine to Bell this month.
