Bell 407

The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter; a derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger. The 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior instead of the two-blade, semi-rigid, teetering, rotor of the 206L-4. The Bell 407 is frequently used for corporate and offshore transport, as an air ambulance, law enforcement, electronic news gathering and movie making. The Bell 417 was a variant of the Bell 407 based on the Bell ARH-70.

Design and development
In 1993, Bell began the development of the New Light Aircraft as a replacement for its Model 206 series. The program resulted in the 407, a development of Bell's LongRanger. A 206L-3 LongRanger was modified to serve as the 407 demonstrator. The demonstrator used hardware for the 407 and added molded fairings to represent the 407's wider fuselage then under development.

The demonstrator was first flown on April 21, 1994, and the 407 program was publicly announced at the Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 1995. The first 407 prototype (C-GFOS) accomplished its maiden flight on June 29, 1995, and the second prototype (C-FORS) followed on July 13, 1995. After a short development program, the first production 407 (C-FWQY/N407BT) flew on November 10, 1995.



The Bell 407 features the four-blade main rotor developed for the OH-58D (Model 406). The blades and hub use composite construction without life limits, and provide better performance and a more comfortable ride. The 407's fuselage is 8 inches (18 cm) wider, increasing internal cabin space, and includes main cabin windows that are 35% larger. The more powerful Rolls-Royce/Allison 250-C47 turboshaft allows an increase in Maximum Takeoff Weight and improves performance at hotter temperatures and/or higher altitudes. The 407's airframe is generally similar to the LongRanger, but includes a carbon fiber composite tailboom. The helicopter has standard seating for two crew and five cabin seats.

The 407 was certificated by Transport Canada on February 9, 1996, with the FAA following shortly after on February 23. Full production began in 1996 at Bell's Mirabel, Quebec, Canada plant and produced 140 airframes in 1997, to fill the initial orders.



In 1995, Bell tested a shrouded tail rotor on the 407, but did not proceed. For a time, Bell studied developing the Model 407T twin-engine variant, but instead chose to develop the essentially all new twin PW206D powered Bell 427.

Bell began deliveries of the 407 in 1996. The 1,000th helicopter was delivered on June 15, 2010.

ARH-70 and Bell 417
The ARH-70 armed reconnaissance helicopter, developed for the U.S. Army was based on the 407, but was later canceled on October 16, 2008.

The Bell 417 was a growth variant of the Bell 407, in essence a civil version of the Bell ARH-70. The 417 made its first flight on June 8, 2006. The 417 was to be powered by a Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft engine, producing 970 shp and includes full FADEC controls. The cabin sat 5 passengers in club-seating configuration, in addition to the crew of two. The civilian 417 was canceled at Heli-Expo 2007 in Orlando.

Bell 407GX and 407GT
On March 4, 2013, Bell unveiled a new armed version of the Bell 407GX, named the 407GT. It incorporates the Garmin G1000HTM flight deck to easily provide flight information. It can include infrared cameras, various armaments, and equipment to perform different missions such as armed transport, search and rescue, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation. The GT version uses the universal weapons pylon (UWP), derived from the Bell OH-58 Kiowa, to carry different weapons including machine guns, rockets, and anti-armor missiles.

Operational history


Bell made delivery of the first production 407 at Heli-Expo, in Dallas, Texas in February 1996. Launch customers for the aircraft were Petroleum Helicopters, Niagara Helicopters, and Greenland Air.

On 23 May 2007, Colin Bodill and Jennifer Murray completed a record pole-to-pole around the world flight utilizing a standard Bell 407. The flight originated from Bell's facility at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport on December 5, 2006. The team flew about 36000 mi over 189 days and 300 flight hours, through 34 different countries. The project, named Polar First, was performed in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society to provide educational outreach to 28 international schools, which were visited during the trip. The project also served as a fundraiser for the SOS Children's Villages.

In 2009 the Iraqi Air Force ordered three Bell 407 armed scout helicopters (similar to the canceled ARH-70). A contract for 24 additional Bell 407s with an option for 26 more was awarded in April of that same year. The U.S. Army is managing modifications and installation of military equipment on the helicopters. Three training T-407s were delivered to the Iraqi Army in 2010. Armed IA-407s were delivered in eight batches of three aircraft from August 2012 to April 2013. The final Bell 407 for Iraq was delivered on 3 April 2013. There are 30 in service; 24 armed scouts, 3 gunships, and 3 trainers.

Iraq is using the IA-407 in operations against Islamic State militants. On 8 October 2014, militants shot down an IA-407 using a shoulder-fired ground-to-air missile, killing the pilot and co-pilot.

Variants



 * Bell 407 : A civil utility helicopter, a derivative of the Bell 206L-4.


 * ARH-70 : An upgraded 407 version to serve as an armed reconnaissance helicopter.


 * Bell 417 : Planned civil version of the ARH-70, was canceled.


 * Bell 407 Light Observation Helicopter : A military reconnaissance version.


 * Eagle 407 HP : Version from Eagle Copter (Alberta, Canada) with a more powerful Honeywell HTS900 engine, rated at 1021 shp.


 * Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire-X : An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) version being developed by Northrop Grumman and Bell Helicopter as a cargo resupply demonstrator.  The test aircraft flew on 10 December 2010 at the Yuma Proving Ground. In February 2011, the US Navy's budget request for 2012 included funds to buy 12 Fire-X helicopters under the designation MQ-8C.


 * Bell 407AH : An armed civil-certified version for use with government and security forces.


 * Bell 407GX : Version of the 407 that features the new Garmin G1000 H-model glass cockpit along with superior avionics and improved flight controls.


 * Bell 407GT : Armed version of the 407GX.


 * Bell 407GXP : Enhanced performance version of the 407GX that features the new Garmin G1000 H-model glass cockpit along with superior avionics and improved flight controls.

Operators


The Bell 407 is in civil service around the world with airlines, corporations, hospital, government operators and private individuals. It is also in service with several military operators.

Military operators
The Bell 407 is currently being flown by the following military operators:


 * Air Force of El Salvador
 * Iraqi Air Force
 * Jamaica Defence Force
 * United Arab Emirates Air Force
 * Jamaica Defence Force
 * United Arab Emirates Air Force
 * United Arab Emirates Air Force
 * United Arab Emirates Air Force