Bell upgrades 407, scores large sale

Bell Helicopter now offers the 407GXP with an additional 50 pounds of payload, a new M250 Rolls-Royce engine, and new avionics.

The company simultaneously announced an agreement for the sale of 200 407GXPs configured for air ambulance missions to Air Methods Corp., an air medical transport services provider with 300 bases covering 48 states.

The 407GXP is derived from the Bell 407GX platform; the M250 Rolls-Royce engine improves performance and fuel efficiency as well as hot and high performance. New avionics features include a hover performance calculator. The engine’s 500-hour increase in time between overhauls is promised to lower maintenance costs.

There are more than 1,200 Bell 407 helicopters, including earlier models, flying today.

Bell Helicopter expects deliveries for the Bell 407GXP to begin in 2015.