BELL HELICOPTER Textron won firm orders for 22 Model 427 light twin-turbine helicopters during the Farnborough air show.
Orders for the eight-seat helicopter were placed by 11 Pacific Rim customers, seven European, three Middle Eastern and one from the USA.
"These firm orders for a helicopter that isn't even certified yet-shows our customers' confidence in Bell products," says president, Lloyd Shoppa. The 427 scheduled for US certification in late 1998, is derived from Bell's new 407 light single-turbine helicopter, for which the company already has 200 customers.
Like the 407, the 427 has a four-blade main rotor and dynamic system derived from that of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
Source: Flight International
