Component manufacturer Essex Industries (Booth No. 1430) announced it has been selected as a supplier for the Bell 525 helicopter program. The St. Louis-based company will design and manufacture the pilot and copilot cyclic and collective grip assemblies along with the complete control post assemblies for the midsize helicopter, which is currently under development. “Our selection as supplier for the Bell 525 Relentless program is further confirmation that the expertise Essex has in the fixed-wing market can be applied to rotary-wing applications as well,” noted Robert Geisz, Essex’s vice president of sales and business development.
Founded in 1947, the company provides platform controls, aircraft components and liquid oxygen systems for life support. It recently began deliveries of collective control grips for the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet of HH-65 Dauphin rescue helicopters. Qualification testing and flight testing of the grips was completed last year and the service plans to retrofit its entire fleet.
