Bell Helicopter’s new Short Light Single (SLS) helicopter product is receiving significant interest in Australia and New Zealand.
Hawker Pacific, the regional sales agent for Bell, has reported strong forward interest, well before the helicopter becomes available in the market.
With a design focus based on costs and useful load, the five-seat entry-level helicopter, powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine with dual channel full authority digital engine control, is expected to complete its first flight in 2014. The SLS is designed to meet performance targets including a speed of 125ks, a range of 360 to 420nm and a useful load of 608kg.
Hawker Pacific’s Tony Jones said: “While the customer base for light single helicopters is spread right across the globe, there is a healthy appetite in Australia/New Zealand and with the price point just right, the market is understandably excited.”
Bell launched the SLS in June.
