At a press conference yesterday here at Heli-Expo, Bell Helicopter executive vice president of customer solutions Mike Blake further explained the Fort Worth, Texas helicopter manufacturer’s recent decision to “streamline” its production line. The rationalization will see the Bell 206B3, 210, 427 and 430 helicopters phased out of production by 2010, though the company promises to continue product support for these models indefinitely. This move will leave the 206L4, 407, 412 and soon-to-be-certified 429 in Bell’s product portfolio into the next decade.
The company’s 2007 shipments outline the rationale for the streamlining–more than half of the 181 commercial helicopters it delivered last year were either Model 407s or 412s, with 73 and 39 units shipped, respectively. It delivered 28 Model 206B3s, 25 -L4s, 10 Model 427s and only six 430s. The 365 civil orders Bell logged last year tilt favorably to the 407, 412 and in-development 429, further supporting its decision.
