Vietnam receives modern light helicopters
The Northern Helicopter Company under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Army Corps 18) has just held a ceremony to receive two Bell 505 helicopters in Canada.
In October 2017, the contract signing ceremony for the purchase of two Bell 505 Jet Range X light helicopters between Vietnam Helicopter Corporation, Northern Helicopter Company and Bell Helicopter Group took place.
According to the plan, the unit is expected to receive the aircraft at the end of December 2018 and in the first quarter of 2019, these modern helicopters will arrive in Vietnam, be assigned and operated by the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation - Corps 18.
This is an important event, marking a turning point for Vietnam Helicopter Corporation because for the first time the unit operates US-made helicopters alongside helicopters from Russia, Poland or Europe.
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| The handover ceremony of two Bell 505 Jet Range X light helicopters to Northern Helicopters took place in Canada. |
As committed, recently at the headquarters of Bell Helicopter Group in Canada, the handover ceremony of 2 Bell 505 Jet Range X light helicopters to Northern Helicopter Company officially took place.
The Bell 505 Jet Range X is Bell Helicopter's latest product, it was first introduced at the Paris Airshow 2013 and was only commercialized in 2017.
The aircraft is 10.53 m long; 1.52 m wide; 3.25 m high. The length of the propeller is 11.28 m and the rotor shaft has a maximum tilt of 3.5 degrees while the tail rotor is 1.65 m long. If calculated from the tip of the propeller to the tip of the tail, the Bell 505 is nearly 13 m long, equivalent to 3 Toyota Innova cars lined up one after another.
The heart of the Bell 505 is a Safran HE Arrius 2R engine with a maximum capacity of 505 horsepower with very high performance, reaching a range of 644 km, a ceiling of 5,672 m and a maximum speed of 232 km/h thanks to the integrated fuel tank capacity of 321 liters. The Bell 505 helicopter can operate well for up to 3,000 flight hours before requiring overhaul.
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| Bell 505 helicopter handover minutes signing ceremony between VNH and Bell Helicopter representatives |
The Bell 505 has an empty weight of 1,002 tonnes and a maximum payload of 667 kg (cargo or people inside). The Bell 505 helicopter is operated by a crew of 2 and can carry up to 4 passengers.
The Bell 505's special feature is that it is equipped with the Garmin G1000H instrument system, which helps to give pilots better situational awareness. This system includes two high-resolution, multi-function 10.4" LCD screens that display many parameters, providing high safety.
The current price of each Bell 505 Jet Range X is only about 1.07 million USD. Thanks to its low purchase cost, fuel economy, high safety, and extreme stability, this helicopter line is considered ideal for commercial operations such as search and rescue, tourism rental... compared to the EC-155B1 or the Russian Mi-8/17 line.
