Aircraft is first of 100 Bell 407GXPs the Chinese company is to receive under a purchase agreement signed in June.
Bell Helicopter has delivered the first Bell 407GXP to Shaanxi Helicopter Co. Ltd. (SHC), a subsidiary of Shaanxi Energy Group. This aircraft is the first of 100 Bell 407GXPs the company is to receive under a purchase agreement signed in June.
In November 2016, Bell signed a Framework Agreement with Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Co. Ltd. (SAIDC) and Xi’an Helicopter Company Ltd. (XHC) to establish a company for the assembly and resale of Bell 407GXP helicopters to government and government-related customers in China.
As a part of the agreement, the parties agreed to negotiate a five-year agreement for the purchase by the new company of 100 Bell 407GXP helicopters.
The Bell 407GXP, launched in 2015, provides an additional 50lb (22.5kg) of payload capability compared with the baseline 407, coupled with a new M250 Rolls-Royce engine that improves performance and fuel efficiency.