Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today that Atlas Air Service signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for two Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters.

“We are delighted to have chosen the Bell 505,” said Hans Doll, sales director of Atlas Air Service. “The performance of this aircraft is unprecedented in its class. It offers the best combination of value, performance and features with the ability to fly faster, further and longer than most aircraft in its class. We strongly believe it will continue to outperform the competition on the European market.”

Atlas Air Service is a renowned aviation company with its head office in Ganderkesee located in Lower Saxony, Germany and has been an Independent Representative for Bell Helicopter since Oct. 2014.

“The Bell 505 has been a commercial success in Europe since its launch,” said Patrick Moulay, vice president of global sales, Bell Helicopter. “With over 45 letters of intent in Europe alone, the Bell 505 is proving to be the strongest contender to address the corporate market. The Bell 505 now has over 150 flight hours and the first aircraft deliveries are already planned in the next couple of years.”

The Bell 505, which first flew November 10, 2014, is a five-seat, single-engine, turbine helicopter leveraging Bell Helicopter’s proven technology and nearly half a century of experience. Its fully flat floor, increased cabin volume and clam shell doors provide the configuration flexibility needed in today’s market. The customer-driven design of the aircraft places safety, performance and affordability at its forefront, blending proven systems with advanced technology and a sleek, modern design. Pilot workload is further reduced by the Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine with dual channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The Bell 505 features a high inertia rotor system delivering superior auto rotation capabilities. With the ideal combination of speed, range and useful load, the Jet Ranger X is designed to deliver best-in-class performance.

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.