Bell looks to “Super Medium” for future success with new 525SMT model

Bell looks to “Super Medium” for future success with new 525SMT model

16-Jan-2012 Source: HeliHub.com

Just before Christmas, Bell filed a flurry of Trademark applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office.  In particular, theses ones – each one listed as a trademark for a name of a helicopter or aircraft.

– 525SMT
– Super Medium
– Super Medium Transport
– Super Medium Class

It’s obviously speculation as to what the 525SMT would be, but given their past convention on naming it will be a five-blade helicopter, and HeliHub.com believes the “Super Medium” would refer to a gross weight in the range of 8-9 tonnes, pitching itself against Eurocopter’s AS332L2 and AgustaWestland’s AW189.

Let’s hope that this is a successful new helicopter type.  Bell have over the last three decades not shown themselves as innovation leaders in the civil helicopter market, with only the 407 and 412 standing out as a truly successful type, and these were really based on the 206 and UH-1 respectively, both of which dates back to the 1960s.  Various other models, including the 210, 222, 230, 427 and 430 have been damp squibs, while their withdrawal from the AB139 co-venture with AgustaWestland was commercial suicide  not only from the sales volume it has since achieved, but also in helping consolidate its competitor AW’s position in the market.

Not that anyone in the HeliHub.com office would resort to a clairvoyant, but it does make us chuckle to think that Bell are staking their success on a “Super Medium”.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com

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