Bell Helicopter Textron to Assume Full Ownership of Civil Tiltrotor Program.FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 1998--Terry Stinson, president and chief executive officer of Bell Helicopter Bell Helicopter Textron is an American helicopter and tiltrotor manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A division of Textron, Bell manufactures military helicopter and tiltrotor products in the United States (primarily in and around Fort Worth as well as in Amarillo, Textron Inc., announced today that Bell will assume complete ownership of the Bell Boeing 609 commercial tiltrotor program starting March 1, 1998. Bell currently owns 51 percent of the 609 commercial tiltrotor joint venture. Boeing has announced that they have made a strategic decision to exit the commercial helicopter business. However, Boeing will continue as a member of the 609 team. "Tiltrotor technology, with its combination of speed, range and dexterity, is proving to be a very attractive transportation solution for corporate travel, natural resource exploration, emergency medical evacuation and disaster relief," said Stinson. To date, there are more than 50 sales commitments for the civil tiltrotor, which is priced from $8 to $10 million. The Bell Boeing joint venture to build the 609 was announced in November 1996. It was a natural step in a partnership that began in 1982 when the companies combined their complementary capabilities and resources to develop the V-22 Osprey The V-22 Osprey is a joint service, multimission, military tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing capability (STOL). tiltrotor aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) was established 22 May, 1990,with headquarters at Hurlburt Field, Fla. AFSOC is a United States Air Force (USAF) major command and is the air component to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified command . The first production V-22 aircraft will be delivered in 1999. The two companies will remain partners on the military V-22 Osprey tiltrotor program. Tiltrotor aircraft are able to take off, hover and land vertically like a helicopter. By tilting their rotors forward, they can also fly with the high speed, range and efficiency of a turboprop turboprop: see turbine. turboprop Hybrid engine that provides jet thrust and also drives a propeller. It is similar to the turbojet except that an added turbine, behind the combustion chamber, works through a shaft and speed-reducing gears to turn a airplane. "This technology, with all of its benefits and versatility, is revolutionizing the way the world flies," said Stinson. Bell Helicopter is the world's leading manufacturer of vertical lift aircraft A vertical lift aircraft is any type of aircraft capable of rising and descending vertically during flight. It includes helicopters, V/STOL jets like the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, and tiltrotor aircraft like the V-22 Osprey. for commercial and military customers. Bell is a division of Textron Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :TXT TXT Text TXT Text File (filename extension) TXT Textile TXT Teletext TXT Tecnologia per a Tothom TXT Textron Corporation (stock symbol) ), a $10.5 billion global, multi-industry company with market-leading operations in Aircraft, Automotive, Industrial and Finance. CONTACT: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Fort Worth Bob Leder, 817/280-6440 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion