Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Bell will build U.S. Navy variants of its 407GXi single in Ozark, Alabama, should it be selected for the service’s Advanced Helicopter Trainer program, the company announced last week. The Navy is seeking to acquire 130 aircraft, and Bell submitted its proposal to the Navy on April 2. Bell’s Ozark facility already delivers unmanned 407s to the Navy through the Fire Scout program.

 


The 407GXi cruises at 133 knots and is outfitted with the new Rolls-Royce M250-C47E/4 dual-channel Fadec turbine engine and Garmin’s G1000H NXi integrated flight deck. Bell previously announced that it is seeking FAA IFR certification for the aircraft and hopes to have that in hand by August. The company is the current legacy provider of training aircraft for the Navy with the TH57, a derivative of the Model 206. The 407 is currently assembled at Bell’s Mirabel, Canada plant.

 


Bell is competing in the trainer replacement competition with the Airbus Helicopters H135 light twin and the Leonardo AW119Kx single. “Bell is proud to be the only U.S.-based manufacturer to participate in the Navy Advanced Helicopter Trainer competition,” said CEO Mitch Snyder. “Our Ozark team has the proven capability to deliver advanced training aircraft for the next generation of Naval aviators.” Bell is expected to increase its Ozark workforce by 25 percent to approximately 100 should it win the contract.&nbsp;

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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