Bell Helicopter CEO Says 2011 Was Market Bottom for Civil Sales

John Garrison, CEO of Bell Helicopter (Booth No. 9846), said on Sunday he believed that 2011 was the market bottom for the civil helicopter sector and that Bell’s newly-announced 525 super-medium twin program would proceed regardless of whether the Pentagon ordered more V-22 Bell/Boeing tiltrotors after 2014.

The board of directors of Bell’s parent company, Textron, formally approved the 525 program in late 2011 and Bell formally announced the program here at Heli-Expo 2011. Bell vice president Larry Roberts pegged the development cost of the 525 at “hundreds of millions” of dollars. Some industry analysts estimated the development costs at close to $500 million.

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