DALLAS — Bell Helicopter Textron planned Sunday to unveil its first new helicopter in nearly six years.
The Bell 210, quietly developed over the past two years, was to be introduced at the Heli-Expo 2004, a global industry trade show in Las Vegas.
Fort Worth-based Bell said the new helicopter is key to helping the company battle for market share.
“People will stand in line to buy this aircraft,” said Scott Fitzgerald, director of sales for the Bell 210.
The helicopter will go on the market immediately, with Bell taking orders beginning this week. The helicopters are expected to be ready as early as next year.
Bell, which employs 5,700 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, expects production of the helicopter to create 200 jobs locally.
Bell’s Arlington plan will handle the transmission and flight dynamics on the aircraft. Assembly work will be done at Bell’s subsidiary facility, Edwards & Associates in Bristol, Tenn.
Bell expects to sell 500 of the helicopters, which will be marketed to military, law enforcement and forestry firefighting units. The 12- to 14-seat helicopter will cost about $2.95 million, about half the price of similar models.
The company said the need for a new utility aircraft became apparent last year after the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry over Texas and scattered pieces over several states.
The National Guard flew Black Hawks to search for charred pieces needed for the accident probe. The Army’s utility transport helicopter is larger and heavier than the Bell 210.
“That was an expensive proposition, Fitzgerald said in Sunday’s editions of The Dallas Morning News. “If they would have had the 210, it would have dramatically reduced the cost.”
Bell’s decision to make the helicopter also was influenced by the U.S. Army’s recent decision to cancel the high-profile Comanche helicopter program and to use $14 billion to buy new light utility helicopters and other equipment.
The light-model helicopters are in high demand by the military and commercially, said Andy Aastad, an analyst and publisher of the “Helicopter Market Letter.”
“By far, it is a more practical helicopter for most applications,” he said.
Bell is hoping the new aircraft with its UH-1 Huey body will boost sales. The company has placed second in worldwide civil helicopter sales behind Europe’s Eurocopter, a unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co.