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First three Bell 505 helicopters delivered to Korean Navy

Bell Textron completed the delivery of the first three Bell 505 helicopters to the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), setting into motion a contract that is expected to see up to 40 Bell 505 helicopters built and delivered by 2025.

A contract between the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Bell was signed in May 2022 after the Bell 505 was selected as the new Republic of Korea military helicopter trainer. The Bell 505 helicopters will be used by both the ROKN and the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) to train their pilots.

“The Bell 505’s state-of-the-art training environment unmatched in that class of helicopter will deliver skills to their next generation of pilots that will enhance their operational readiness,” said Sameer Rehman, managing director, Asia Pacific, Bell. “We are privileged to play a part in building these critical capabilities and supporting the Armed Forces’ fleet with our industry-leading aftermarket programs.”

The inclusion of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces takes the total number of government agencies worldwide that utilize the Bell 505 as its helicopter trainer to seven, which also includes the Indonesian Navy, Jamaican Air Force, Japan Coast Guard, Horizon International Flight Academy of the UAE, Armed Forces of Montenegro, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

Since the Bell 505 was introduced in 2017, more than 400 deliveries of the aircraft have been made and more than 100,000 global fleet hours clocked.