Bell Textron has completed the delivery of 40 Bell 505 helicopters to the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and Navy (ROKN), fulfilling a contract signed with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in May 2022.
The helicopters are intended for use as rotary-wing training platforms and will be supported by eight simulators and a tailored aftermarket support program. Despite pandemic-related supply chain challenges, Bell delivered the aircraft on schedule.
With this acquisition, South Korea joins a number of other military and government operators using the Bell 505 for pilot training. These include the Indonesian Navy, Jamaican Air Force, Japan Coast Guard, Montenegrin Armed Forces, Iraqi Army Aviation Command, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
The Bell 505 features a Safran Arrius 2R engine with dual-channel FADEC and a Garmin G1000H NXi avionics suite. The platform also includes a glass cockpit, wraparound windows, and Synthetic Vision to improve pilot situational awareness.
Since entering service in 2017, over 500 Bell 505 helicopters have been delivered worldwide, logging more than 100,000 flight hours.d