Alongside the H-145M from Airbus Helicopters, the Bell 429 is another candidate to succeed the German Armed Forces’ Alouette III. Militär Aktuell author Georg Mader spoke to Duncan van de Velde, Managing Director of Bell Helicopters for Europe and Russia, about the advantages and performance spectrum of the Bell 429. But also about red-white-red company partners and a possible final production of the helicopters at Heli-Austria in Bad Vöslau.
Mr. Van de Velde, let’s start with a general question: Of course, this is not the first time that one of your designs has taken part in a military procurement. In terms of the selection for Austria, but also generally in the spectrum of light multi-role helicopters, there are actually only civilian designs. Does it make a big difference for your company when it comes to militarily equipped and armed types?
Last month Bell celebrated its 85th birthday and throughout all these years we have always found revolutionary solutions. Currently, about 60 percent of our business is in the military segment and we have over 50 years of experience in supplying and supporting helicopters with military equipment. Do you remember the first real combat helicopter? That was the Bell AH-1 Cobra for the US Army – so much for the DNA of a militarized solution in our company. As for our Bell 429 model, it is a proven multi-role helicopter that can integrate any system into the airworthiness requirements to increase the safety of Austrian soldiers and citizens in the present or future. Of course, this is always subject to US government approval, as separate approvals are required for militarized aircraft or helicopters that are not in a fully civilian configuration. In addition, the Bell 429 is very versatile and can be quickly reconfigured to be ready for the next, completely different mission. Please tell us more about the Bell 429 on the world market, with a focus on government operators, such as the Slovakian police or the new contract with the Australian Special Forces (Militär Aktuell reported).
Today, more than 350 Bell 429s are flying around the world and many of these helicopters are operated in so-called parapublic, military, HEMS and SAR missions, especially at high altitudes – environments relevant for mountainous terrain such as Austria. In Europe, Bell 429 helicopters are used for SAR missions by Air Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, Heliand in Andorra and Air Transport Europe in the High Tatras. In its neighboring country, the Slovakian government air service uses this helicopter to provide support for police, firefighting, disaster control and mountain rescue. This customer is enthusiastic about the helicopter’s performance and reliability, especially for its special mission types, including dropping off and picking up special tactical units or border patrol. Or the Turkish Federal Police with its fleet of 15 Bell 429s and a recently reported operational availability rate of 95 percent. Or the Swedish Federal Police, which operates nine of them. And as you rightly mentioned, Babcock, one of the world’s largest and most experienced helicopter operators, was also recently selected for the “Land 2097” project with our Model 429 to support the special forces of the Australian Defense Force. In total, operators in 22 nations, including the USA, are currently using the 429 for missions similar to those required or requested by the Austrian armed forces.
In our daily newspapers, the Bell 429 was recently simply described as the cheapest of the competitors, but “bare” acquisition costs, direct maintenance and operating costs as well as the total life cycle costs are often confused and incorrectly compared. Could you shed some light on this for us?
Gladly. The reports referred to figures from the aviation rating agency Conklin & Dedecker, an external source that actually sets the standard in the industry for calculating the total cost of ownership of a helicopter or life cycle costs. The lower life cycle cost data of our product compared to the competition shows that there is a significant cost difference compared to – but also between – the other models mentioned. We believe that this should not be ignored and given the current economic situation we are all currently facing, this should be a deciding factor. These helicopters will most likely be flying for the Austrian government for 40 years, so the whole life cost aspect must be given special consideration. It is crucial to evaluate the entire life cycle of a helicopter, not just its acquisition cost. I would like to add something to this … Please.
For the current turquoise-green coalition, environmental issues have a higher priority – and one factor here is that the Bell 429 consumes around 17 percent less fuel than the type that has been reported in the media as the favorite. Incidentally, the fact that the Bell 429 is the first commercial helicopter to be certified according to the so-called “Maintenance Steering Group 3”, a method for improving maintenance efficiency by eliminating redundant and ineffective maintenance tasks, contributes to the lowest life cycle costs. These and other efforts have not gone unnoticed in the industry; in the Aviation International News Product Support Survey, we were again named the number one rotorcraft manufacturer, and Vertical Magazine recognized our exceptional customer service.
Even if it is not a priority in Austria, how long would it take to fully militarize a Bell 429? And where would that happen?
Bell itself does not offer a fully militarized solution for the 429, but as with other models, it works with third parties. After all, we need to ensure that we meet the customer’s mission requirements. Based on experience with other platforms, we estimate that this process will take less than 24 months. If Bell is selected for this procurement and a full militarized upgrade is required, qualification and airworthiness of the specialized equipment would be performed in the US. However, the installation of the militarized systems would take place in Austria, in accordance with regulatory approvals for equipment selected or procured by the Austrian Armed Forces. Our team is also ready to support the Austrian Ministry of Defense in the much more immediate needs of firefighting, search and rescue missions and troop transport. The water tank system under the 429, for example, can also fight fires at night – unlike with a “bucket tank” as a suspended load – and such a tank cannot be installed on medium-sized helicopters with wheeled landing gear.
This brings us to your selected Austrian partners: how will they be integrated into the intended government-to-government business and confirmed by the US authorities?
From the first day of our presence here, the selection committee of the Austrian Ministry of Defense focused on the question: “What is your local contribution and how can you bring added value to Austria?” So we immediately carried out a detailed evaluation of several companies.
And who did Bell choose?
Air Ambulance Technologies (AAT), which will provide the medical equipment and medical interior for the helicopters. What is special about our relationship with AAT is that we have entered into a license agreement in which we have been able to transfer our intellectual property to AAT to develop a medical interior. AAT will now be able to develop and market its own Medevac equipment solutions that can be exported globally outside of Austria. The second company is AMST-Systemtechnik GmbH, which provides the complete simulator for pilot training – we were very impressed with their technical skills and expertise. Last, but not least, our biggest partnership is with Heli-Austria GmbH. If we are selected, the “429s” destined for Austria will be finalized and completed at Heli-Austria’s facilities.
So the final assembly would take place in Austria?
Exactly. The scope of work would include the final assembly of the helicopter and the installation of customization equipment and special packages selected by the Austrian armed forces. The necessary technical knowledge to carry out the work will be transferred by us to Heli-Austria so that they can install future upgrades and modernizations and carry out long-term repairs and overhauls on major overhaul components – I mentioned the presumably long service life in Austria. This would be the first time ever that a series helicopter would be completed in Austria, no competitor offers this. This far-reaching offer of industrial participation from Bell and the US government is currently being evaluated by the Austrian government. It would benefit Austrian society financially by pumping the funds used to purchase the helicopters back into the economy.
So you are convinced that such final equipment and assembly in Austria can be certified by Heli-Austria?
Yes, Heli-Austria GmbH has been a loyal Bell customer for a long time. This is a professional and experienced organization that has all the creditable certificates (note: AOC, CAMO, Part-145, ATO & Design Organization) and knowledge to meet the obligation to complete aircraft. The helicopter airframes or kits would arrive with an airworthiness certificate from our Bell factory in Canada, and the helicopters would be assembled in Bad Vöslau – near Vienna – where service flights would be carried out and then the customization and special equipment would be installed. The US government and Bell will work with Heli-Austria to ensure that the team is properly trained and has all the new certifications required to deliver a finished product to the Austrian government.
What do you think of the Austrian government’s planned purchase of helicopters in the form of a government-to-government deal?
However, we ourselves have a long history of cooperation with the US government in procurement on a government-to-government basis. Just recently, the Czech Republic purchased Bell helicopters using the same procedure (note: eight UH-1Y and four AH-1Z combat helicopters). This was a great success for all parties involved – our European headquarters in Prague is also “next door”. The underlying Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process is well known worldwide and has an excellent reputation for open and transparent handling, which also eliminates potential compliance issues. In conclusion, Bell can be a trusted partner for the Austrian government by providing an open and transparent process via the US government and by providing an offer with the lowest life cycle costs and high local content, which will measurably support the Austrian economy in the difficult years to come.
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