Bell 525 Relentless
As you work for Bell...why don't you enlighten us...rather than sounding like a smart ass...errrrr...rather a Christian holding four Aces?
In any case, that was a rather slick looking mockup. Hope you got a chance to see the webcast.
From Google Cache of the bell525 site:
FIRST commercial helicopter to define the super-medium class by combining best-in-class performance characteristics and passenger amenities with maximized situational awareness of the ARC Horizon flight deck.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate fly-by-wire flight controls, delivering superior handling qualities and increased level of safety through the ability to seamlessly react in austere environments.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate the Garmin G5000H, a touchscreen avionics suite, for enhanced situational awareness and improved pilot integration.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate Bell’s LATD™ tail boom technology for improved hover performance.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate fly-by-wire flight controls, delivering superior handling qualities and increased level of safety through the ability to seamlessly react in austere environments.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate the Garmin G5000H, a touchscreen avionics suite, for enhanced situational awareness and improved pilot integration.
FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate Bell’s LATD™ tail boom technology for improved hover performance.
Site just went live: Bell Helicopter
Seating 2 Crew 16 Passengers
Power Plant GE® CT7-2F1
Avionics Garmin G5000H™ 4x15-in. Touchscreen Displays
Flight Controls BAE Systems
Fly-By-Wire
PERFORMANCE
MGW >18,000 lbs. >8,180 kg
Speed >140 kts 260 kmy/h
Range >400 nm >740 km
Seating 2 Crew 16 Passengers
Power Plant GE® CT7-2F1
Avionics Garmin G5000H™ 4x15-in. Touchscreen Displays
Flight Controls BAE Systems
Fly-By-Wire
PERFORMANCE
MGW >18,000 lbs. >8,180 kg
Speed >140 kts 260 kmy/h
Range >400 nm >740 km
The Bell 525 “Relentless” super-medium twin, the largest civil helicopter in the company’s history. The helicopter is an 18,000-pound “plus” ship aimed squarely at the offshore market with a range of more than 400 nm, at a speed near 150 knots and a ceiling of 20,000 feet
The 525 is a culmination of the “Project-X” and “Magellan” research programs that first came to light in a series of leaked inter-company memos more than a year ago. Bell has been working on the 525 “on and off” for more than a decade, said company senior vice president Larry Roberts. The helicopter’s value proposition is to offer medium helicopter economics while delivering large helicopter comfort and capabilities. It will be powered by a pair of GE CT7-2 engines (1,800 shp each) driving an all-composite five-bladed main rotor system and a four-bladed tailrotor. Roberts said the rotor system and transmission have been optimized for the engines. The aircraft will incorporate a triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight control system with a BAE flight computer that borrows lessons learned on the Bell/Boeing V-22 and AW609 (formerly Bell/Agusta 609) tiltrotors.
The big helicopter also will feature the new Garmin G5000H touchscreen-controlled glass panel integrated avionics suite with four main displays and Telligence voice command capabilities, two key components of Bell’s new ARC (awareness, react and control) cockpit. The ergonomic cockpit features pilot seats that J-track, pushing back and swiveling, for ease of egress. Right-hand, fly-by-wire side sticks replace the conventional cyclics. The ARC cockpit gives flight crews a level of comfort and awareness “they have never had before in a helicopter,” Roberts said. That includes the ability to see over the helicopter’s nose.
ARC is intuitive and can sense, for example, when system failures require an autorotation and it automatically sets up the helicopter to enter one. “The system gives the crew the ability to react very quickly,” Roberts said. “The pilot can think about other critical things in those five to six seconds rather than worrying if the collective is down and the aircraft is in the right attitude.”
“In critical situations the system identifies the problem and does something about it,” said Larry Thimmesch, Bell vice president of new programs.
While chock-full of new technology, Thimmesch said that the 525’s cockpit will not be so complicated as to befuddle pilots. “This is the first touchscreen interface in a Part 29 helicopter, but we are not over-designing this thing so it is the Starship Enterprise. This technology makes sense to the operator,” he said. That includes “unparalleled” real-time health usage and monitoring systems data transmitted via uplink with trend monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.
The 525’s composite and metal airframe also features an emphasis on ease of maintenance and durability. “Our design goal is to be able to remove and replace any (line replaceable unit [LRU]) aircraft component in ten minutes, and that includes access,” said Thimmesch. “To do that we used quarter-turn fasteners for non-structural aircraft panels and standard link fasteners to get around structural panels. Also, you don’t have to remove one LRU to get at another,” he said.
Thimmesch said Bell evaluated more than 20 years of data to identify maintenance cost drivers for the offshore industry in designing the 525 and found that 32 percent of maintenance is related to fighting corrosion. Bell is using monolithic composites in places susceptible to corrosion, such as the lower airframe structures, and also designing in floor drainage. “Once you get water into a structure, you can’t get it out so the best solution is to not let it get in there,” he said. Conversely, metal airframe parts are sometimes easier to inspect, so Bell has not totally eschewed them on the 525. “It comes down to using the right materials in the right place,” Thimmesch said. “Composites make sense for reducing the parts count and for complex curves, but for simplicity of design and structural integrity, metal makes sense in the ‘big bones’ structures.” Thimmesch calls the approach “hybrid construction.”
Roberts said the 525’s tailboom has been designed to provide less resistance and more lift that translates into higher hover out of ground effect altitude than conventional designs. “The placement of the tailrotor and the torque derived from it is based on a different formulation than anything you have ever seen before in the helicopter market,” he said.
While the five-bladed main rotor is a commercial first for Bell, its design will be fairly conventional. “It’s a conventional airfoil with canted blades to broaden the center of gravity envelope,” Roberts said. “You won’t see any big dihedrals on the tips.”
Entry to the 525’s 4.5-foot tall cabin is through a pair of hinged doors located between the cockpit and the first row of four seating areas or through a pair of large aft sliding doors. Each seating area offers comfortable four-abreast seating for a total of 16 passengers. A higher-density passenger cabin is anticipated. The aft baggage compartment will be configurable, possibly with a sliding cargo pallet, with room for the equivalent of 37 sets of golf clubs.
Roberts said the 525’s first flight would likely occur sometime in 2013 or 2014 and that the company is aiming for certification in 2015. He said the 525 will likely be priced between the AgustaWestland AW189 and Eurocopter EC225. The 525 was designed to be cost competitive from a value perspective for any mission between 50 and 400 nm currently performed by helicopters ranging from AW139s to Sikorsky S-92As, he added.
Concurrent to designing the 525, Bell is developing various kits for the aircraft and plans to have the most popular available when the aircraft is delivered. Bell plans to have a flight simulator on line by the time the first 525 is delivered. Second-tier kits will be available during the first year of delivery with more specialized kits coming later. In addition to offshore, Bell envisions a variety of uses for the 525 including law enforcement, EMS, SAR, coastal patrol and VVIP configurations.
Last month Bell CEO John Garrison announced that the 525 would be built at the company’s Amarillo, Texas plant, currently home of the Bell/Boeing V-22 final assembly line. That program has been a cash cow for Bell, but is widely seen as winding down in the face of anticipated Pentagon budget cuts. Roberts said it was a safe bet that Bell would offer a military variant of the 525 in the future. Currently 320 Bell employees in Fort Worth, Texas, and Mirabel, Quebec are working on the program. Roberts expects that number to increase to 500 in the near future. The 525’s program costs are estimated near $500 million and are part of a $1 billion facility, research and development and inventory investment program Bell announced earlier this year.
The big helicopter also will feature the new Garmin G5000H touchscreen-controlled glass panel integrated avionics suite with four main displays and Telligence voice command capabilities, two key components of Bell’s new ARC (awareness, react and control) cockpit. The ergonomic cockpit features pilot seats that J-track, pushing back and swiveling, for ease of egress. Right-hand, fly-by-wire side sticks replace the conventional cyclics. The ARC cockpit gives flight crews a level of comfort and awareness “they have never had before in a helicopter,” Roberts said. That includes the ability to see over the helicopter’s nose.
ARC is intuitive and can sense, for example, when system failures require an autorotation and it automatically sets up the helicopter to enter one. “The system gives the crew the ability to react very quickly,” Roberts said. “The pilot can think about other critical things in those five to six seconds rather than worrying if the collective is down and the aircraft is in the right attitude.”
“In critical situations the system identifies the problem and does something about it,” said Larry Thimmesch, Bell vice president of new programs.
While chock-full of new technology, Thimmesch said that the 525’s cockpit will not be so complicated as to befuddle pilots. “This is the first touchscreen interface in a Part 29 helicopter, but we are not over-designing this thing so it is the Starship Enterprise. This technology makes sense to the operator,” he said. That includes “unparalleled” real-time health usage and monitoring systems data transmitted via uplink with trend monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.
The 525’s composite and metal airframe also features an emphasis on ease of maintenance and durability. “Our design goal is to be able to remove and replace any (line replaceable unit [LRU]) aircraft component in ten minutes, and that includes access,” said Thimmesch. “To do that we used quarter-turn fasteners for non-structural aircraft panels and standard link fasteners to get around structural panels. Also, you don’t have to remove one LRU to get at another,” he said.
Thimmesch said Bell evaluated more than 20 years of data to identify maintenance cost drivers for the offshore industry in designing the 525 and found that 32 percent of maintenance is related to fighting corrosion. Bell is using monolithic composites in places susceptible to corrosion, such as the lower airframe structures, and also designing in floor drainage. “Once you get water into a structure, you can’t get it out so the best solution is to not let it get in there,” he said. Conversely, metal airframe parts are sometimes easier to inspect, so Bell has not totally eschewed them on the 525. “It comes down to using the right materials in the right place,” Thimmesch said. “Composites make sense for reducing the parts count and for complex curves, but for simplicity of design and structural integrity, metal makes sense in the ‘big bones’ structures.” Thimmesch calls the approach “hybrid construction.”
Roberts said the 525’s tailboom has been designed to provide less resistance and more lift that translates into higher hover out of ground effect altitude than conventional designs. “The placement of the tailrotor and the torque derived from it is based on a different formulation than anything you have ever seen before in the helicopter market,” he said.
While the five-bladed main rotor is a commercial first for Bell, its design will be fairly conventional. “It’s a conventional airfoil with canted blades to broaden the center of gravity envelope,” Roberts said. “You won’t see any big dihedrals on the tips.”
Entry to the 525’s 4.5-foot tall cabin is through a pair of hinged doors located between the cockpit and the first row of four seating areas or through a pair of large aft sliding doors. Each seating area offers comfortable four-abreast seating for a total of 16 passengers. A higher-density passenger cabin is anticipated. The aft baggage compartment will be configurable, possibly with a sliding cargo pallet, with room for the equivalent of 37 sets of golf clubs.
Roberts said the 525’s first flight would likely occur sometime in 2013 or 2014 and that the company is aiming for certification in 2015. He said the 525 will likely be priced between the AgustaWestland AW189 and Eurocopter EC225. The 525 was designed to be cost competitive from a value perspective for any mission between 50 and 400 nm currently performed by helicopters ranging from AW139s to Sikorsky S-92As, he added.
Concurrent to designing the 525, Bell is developing various kits for the aircraft and plans to have the most popular available when the aircraft is delivered. Bell plans to have a flight simulator on line by the time the first 525 is delivered. Second-tier kits will be available during the first year of delivery with more specialized kits coming later. In addition to offshore, Bell envisions a variety of uses for the 525 including law enforcement, EMS, SAR, coastal patrol and VVIP configurations.
Last month Bell CEO John Garrison announced that the 525 would be built at the company’s Amarillo, Texas plant, currently home of the Bell/Boeing V-22 final assembly line. That program has been a cash cow for Bell, but is widely seen as winding down in the face of anticipated Pentagon budget cuts. Roberts said it was a safe bet that Bell would offer a military variant of the 525 in the future. Currently 320 Bell employees in Fort Worth, Texas, and Mirabel, Quebec are working on the program. Roberts expects that number to increase to 500 in the near future. The 525’s program costs are estimated near $500 million and are part of a $1 billion facility, research and development and inventory investment program Bell announced earlier this year.
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The link to the Bell 525 website at the bottom of post #1 is now fully operational and contains lots of interesting information.
A beautiful helicopter.
Well done Bell.
A beautiful helicopter.
Well done Bell.
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Seems it's designed to directly compete against the AW189, no? The external design also smacks of the 214ST with cleaned-up lines and a new tailboom
Bell's 525 Relentless mock-up debuts at today's Heli-Expo show
Bob Suggs is no longer with us and his wife Carol no longer involved in running the show .. making PHI's support for Bell all the more incredible!
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When was the last time you saw a 214ST? They look nothing alike.
Unless you are talking about a basic similarity in size there really is nothing to link the 214ST to the 525. If there is .. then please go ahead name them!
GoodGrief, instead of developing the 'D' model Sikorsky would have developed a '77' (or whatever) and taken on something like this. It would have been a 'natural' progression for the 76 in my view. Too late now but credit to Bell for pursuing this ambitious project.
GoodGrief, instead of developing the 'D' model Sikorsky would have developed a '77' (or whatever) and taken on something like this. It would have been a 'natural' progression for the 76 in my view. Too late now but credit to Bell for pursuing this ambitious project.
1. Side arm controllers in a civilain helicopter - very interesting and some would say about time?
2. Looks like a 76 on steroids
3. Unrestricted forward visibility - it will need it with the nose up attitude on a rig approach if the 76 is anything to go by
4. Competing against the 189 and the 175 and playing catch up - but good look to Bell
2. Looks like a 76 on steroids
3. Unrestricted forward visibility - it will need it with the nose up attitude on a rig approach if the 76 is anything to go by
4. Competing against the 189 and the 175 and playing catch up - but good look to Bell
Look! Gordy's new ride:
This is the front end... The seats rotate out on tracks to allow easy access. It is a fly by wire helicopter with arm rest controllers instead of conventional controls:
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The fly-by-wire part is pretty gutsy. Based on the work they've done with the V-22 systems. Triple redundant, etc.
Should be quite the interesting development.
Not sure the certification world for helicopters will be ready for this, but welcome to the 21st century!
Should be quite the interesting development.
Not sure the certification world for helicopters will be ready for this, but welcome to the 21st century!
Well praise the Lord!
If she flies as good as she looks....she will be a winner.
But....the proof is in the pudding as they say!
Somebody...quick...tell me about the pilot seats....they going to be as comfortable as a 2x10 plank? Do the Pilot access doors latch open or do you still have to use your foot to hold the things open? Do the doors open a full 180 degrees or only half way?
How's that left seat going to work for long lining?
Overhead Power Levers or just some posh switches that say....OFF/RUN/FLY?
If she flies as good as she looks....she will be a winner.
But....the proof is in the pudding as they say!
Somebody...quick...tell me about the pilot seats....they going to be as comfortable as a 2x10 plank? Do the Pilot access doors latch open or do you still have to use your foot to hold the things open? Do the doors open a full 180 degrees or only half way?
How's that left seat going to work for long lining?
Overhead Power Levers or just some posh switches that say....OFF/RUN/FLY?
I wonder if its possible to play Angry Birds while flying, and another thing, after all these years of happiness over having your hand in your crotch all day long and getting paid for it, how the heck are you supposed to get used to this Airbus stick