Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it secured customer commitments to purchase nearly 300 new Bell helicopters at last week’s Heli-Expo show in Orlando, FL. The customer signing ceremonies followed some of the company’s largest commercial orders in its history, including the sale of 200 Bell 407GXPS to Air Methods Corporation and a letter of intent for 20 Bell 525s with options for additional aircraft to Waypoint Leasing.

“There was never a dull moment in the Bell Helicopter booth,” said Patrick Moulay, vice president of global sales and marketing at Bell Helicopter. “Customers from across the globe gathered to see our modern and innovative aircraft made possible by our ongoing investment in our commercial business.”

The full recap of signings that Bell Helicopter inked at this year’s Heli-Expo show includes:

•220 orders for the Bell 407GX / GXP
•12 orders for the Bell 429
•5 orders for the 206L-4
•1 order for the Bell 412 EP/EPI
•29 letters of intent for the Bell 525 Relentless
•24 letters of intent for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X

In addition to the announcement of landmark sales agreements, Bell Helicopter also introduced the new Bell 407GXP, which has an additional 50 pounds of payload, and a new Rolls-Royce M250 engine that boosts power and fuel efficiency, creating class leading high hot performance. The Bell 407GXP is also equipped with new avionics, as well as improved components that decrease the cost of ownership.

“We continue to listen to our customers and have made significant updates to our current products and introduced two new commercial aircraft, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X and the Bell 525 Relentless,” added Moulay. “We’ve placed a major emphasis on incorporating technology to increase pilot situational awareness and to enhance safety.”

During the course of the show, Bell Helicopter contracted Hughes Aerospace Corporation to develop performance based navigation procedures for Bell helicopters in China, and also commemorated the delivery of the 30th Bell 412 to Aeroservicios Especializados (ASESA), an oil and gas operator in Latin America.

Summarizing Bell Helicopter’s participation in this year’s Heli-Expo show, Moulay said, “Bell Helicopter has been changing the way the world flies for 80 years.  We continue to put our customers at the center of everything we do and we are pleased to see the incredible response at Heli-Expo 2015.”

Heli-Expo 2015, held in the Orange County Convention Center, hosted 18,000 industry professionals, more than 730 competitive exhibitors and nearly 60 helicopters on display with over one million square feet of meeting and exhibit space.

About Bell Helicopter

Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell’s global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit www.textron.com.