Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, announced the selection of the Bell 505 as the new Republic of Korea military helicopter trainer.
The new Bell 505 helicopters will be used by both the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) to train their next generation of helicopter pilots.
The contract, which was signed between the Republic of Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration and Bell, calls for the building and delivery of up to 40 Bell 505 helicopters by 2025.
“The Republic of Korea’s selection of the Bell 505 after a rigorous review process, confirms it is the preferred next-generation military helicopter trainer globally for training pilots,” said Patrick Moulay, senior vice president, International Commercial Sales, Bell. “With the ever-increasing operational needs and challenges faced by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, Bell is privileged to play a part in training future ROKA and ROKN pilots.”
In February, the Bell 505 achieved 100,000 global fleet hours, and there have been more than 360 Bell 505 global deliveries since 2017. The Republic of Korea Armed Forces will join government agencies across the world, including the Indonesian Navy, Jamaican Air Force, Japan Coast Guard, United Arab Emirates military and Montenegro Defence Force, in utilizing the Bell 505 as its helicopter trainer.
With light single helicopters forming the majority of training helicopters globally, the Bell 505 is well suited to prepare future military pilots to meet the myriad of challenges they will face in their missions.
The Bell 505 is Bell’s newest five-seat aircraft designed for safety, efficiency and reliability. With the latest Garmin avionics and dual channel FADEC-controlled engine, the Bell 505 is the most advanced light single-engine aircraft on the market.