Philippines Receives Approval For Bell 505 Helicopter Purchase
THE US Department of State approved the possible Foreign Military Sale of Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters and related equipment to the Philippines for an estimated cost of US$150 million, though the number of aircraft are unspecified.
A State Department release stated, “The Government of the Philippines has requested to buy Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; spare parts including main rotor blades; tail rotor blades; full length trainer shoes; pilot training for twenty-two (22) pilots including ground and flight training, left seat orientation, and Instrument Meteorological Conditions and Helicopter Upset Recovery; maintenance training for six (6) students including Bell 505 Maintenance Officer Course; field maintenance, integrated avionics, component maintenance, and Safran engine maintenance training for twenty-two (22) students. This proposed acquisition also includes Bell 505 Veris flight simulators; an Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package for five (5) years, and operator and maintenance training for six (6) students; Field Support Representative and Logistics Support Representative for one (1) year; ILS, tools, and ground support equipment for two (2) operating bases supporting twenty-two (22) aircraft operating two hundred (200) hours per year for a duration of five (5) years; subscriptions including electronic online; technical publications for twenty (20) years; Garmin subscription for five (5) years; Program Management Reviews for three (3) years hosted once annually; delivery and reassembly of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; and other related elements of logistics and program support.”
It added that the proposed sale will improve the Philippines’ capability to meet current and future threats by addressing aircraft competency gaps in operating rotary wing aircraft as part of an upgraded Bell 505 Jet Ranger X equipped with advanced system and thereby enhancing comprehensive training. This enhanced capability will facilitate the smooth transition for pilots to more complex rotary aircraft within the Armed Forces Philippines (AFP), and it is a cost-effective solution for developing rotary wing pilots.”
Equipped with a Safran Arrius 2R engine, dual-channel FADEC, and Garmin G1000H NXi avionics suite, the Bell 505 is one of the most technologically advanced platforms in its class. To further enhance pilots’ situational awareness, the Bell 505 features an open cabin design, glass cockpit and wraparound windows.
In June last year, Bell delivered 40 Bell 505 helicopters and eight simulators to the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and Navy (ROKN). These aircraft position the ROK among a growing list of government agencies worldwide that rely on the Bell 505 as a rotary-wing trainer.
Other users include the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL), Jamaican Air Force, Japan Coast Guard (JCG), Armed Forces of Montenegro, Iraqi Army Aviation Command, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force. Today, there are more than 75 Bell 505s globally that support pilot training.
Among the listed systems include the Veris Virtual Reality (VR) Flight Simulator from TRU Simulation + Training Inc., an affiliate of Bell Textron Inc. which made its debut at the recent Singapore Airshow in February.
Qualified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Level 7 Flight Training Device (FTD). Level 7 FTD is the highest fidelity standard for helicopters where the FTD delivers exceptional realism in visual systems, motion, flight dynamics and all system modeling, replicating real-world scenarios with high accuracy. In addition, the Veris enables pilots to train for a wide range of system malfunctions and emergency procedures, ensuring comprehensive preparedness for real-word operations.
TRU Simulation’s Veris delivers advanced pilot training for the Bell 505, offering pilots immersive flight cues, high-fidelity visuals, and a realistic cockpit environment. In addition, the Veris utilises a Bell data package, incorporating Bell 3D models for virtual aircraft representation in VR and Bell/Garmin OEM (original equipment manufacturer) hardware. This ensures the simulator is an exact match to the Bell 505 aircraft, both in terms of data accuracy and physical/virtual equipment.–shp/adj/dl (Pix: BELL, ADJ)