“Why don’t my Bell colleagues take this question?” AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi suggested when asked why Bell would not accept his company’s additional money into the protracted BA609 Tiltrotor program, during a press conference on Wednesday here at the Paris Air Show. The innovative hybrid aircraft, which performs daily in the flying display, has its certification now pegged for late 2010 or even early 2011, but Orsi promised development has been accelerated and is now moving forward at full speed.
To be seen in the coming months is whether Bell and Agusta will agree on a further increase in the latter’s role in the joint venture. This may lead to a real acceleration in the program’s pace. “The pace of development has been related to the level of funding,” Orsi explained. Aviation International News understands that Bell has been slow, if not reluctant, to speed up the BA609’s development because its focus is still on the military Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey’s teething troubles.
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