The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) has taken delivery of three Bell 505 training helicopters via a previously unannounced order.
Pictured at the rotorcraft manufacturer’s Mirabel production site in Quebec, Canada, the training aircraft completed inspection and acceptance by the customer last month, Bell says.
“This delivery marks the first 505 helicopters for the country and includes a package with training, tooling, and spares,” the airframer adds.
“Generations of Bahraini pilots have flown in Bell helicopters, and the Bell 505 will continue the tradition of excellence for years to come,” says Sameer Rehman, the company’s managing director, Africa and Middle East.
“With low operating costs and high reliability, the Bell 505 has emerged as a customer favourite to prepare cadets for a safer and more effective transition to advanced helicopters,” he adds.
Delivery of the single-engined rotorcraft follows the RBAF’s recent completion of a programme to field 12 new Bell AH-1Z attack helicopters. The service also operates older AH-1E/Fs and Bell 212/412 utility helicopters as part of its rotorcraft inventory.
Bahrain currently employs the veteran MBB BO105 in the rotary crew training role.
