Sun, Aug 06, 2023
Bell's Combat Helo Family Continues the March Onwards
Bell's family of H-1 helicopters continues to rack up the hours, with the H-1 Viper and Venom passing the half-million flight hour mark across the worldwide fleet.
The aircraft have continued to be a favorite among pilots and troops alike, thanks to a competent blend of performance, flying dynamics, and firepower. The H-1 family has even found fans overseas, helped along by the aircraft's compact, easily shipped frame and simple parts support. Despite the Viper's age, the basic design has continued to see updates to remain modern with a suite of power upgrades, electrical modifications, improved datalink capabilities, and weapons integration.
“The H-1 continues to be the premier example of a family of aircraft that can do more with less and deliver unmatched interoperability and expeditionary agility,” said Mike Deslatte, Bell H-1 vice president and program director. “We are thrilled to reach this tremendous milestone and excited for the future of both the Viper and the Venom as they continue to grow in number and capability around the world.”
“We are proud that the first 500,000 flight hours of the UH-1Y and AH-1Z included constant deployments to austere deserts, numerous types of naval vessels, and frigid cold environments in support of U.S. and allied service members on the ground and at sea,” said Nate Green, Bell H-1 program manager. “With the Viper and Venom sharing 85 percent commonality of parts, a major advantage of this program is that a single readiness improvement or capability upgrade can often support both aircraft.”
“This milestone highlights the crucial missions our customers have accomplished with the H-1 during this time. Congratulations to the U.S. Marine Corps and their allies on this tremendous milestone. Bell is proud to be your partner on this platform,” added Deslatte.
More News
Aviation Governance Secured...At Least For a While The National Business Aviation Association similarly applauded the passage of the FAA's recent reauthorization, contentedly recou>[...]
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS' It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resou>[...]
Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aer>[...]
Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC f>[...]
Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace>[...]