Rolls-Royce and Bell Helicopter Sign Model 250 Engine Agreement Worth up to $400 Million

ANAHEIM, CA -- Rolls-Royce and Bell Helicopter have signed a ten-year agreement, valued at up to $400 million for the supply of Model 250 engines for Bell 206 and 407 helicopters. As part of this agreement, Model 250 engines will be delivered to Bell Helicopter through 2017.

"We have delivered more than 18,000 Model 250 engines for use on single and twin-engine helicopters to Bell over the last decades," says Ken Roberts, President of Rolls-Royce Helicopter Engines. "During those years, Bell and Rolls-Royce have worked together to keep Model 250-powered aircraft at the forefront of the helicopter industry through continued investment and the introduction of new technology. This new ten-year agreement is a commitment to build upon that valued and successful partnership."

Rolls-Royce and Bell Helicopter initiated their partnership in 1961 with the maiden flight of a Rolls-Royce turbine powered variant of the classic Bell 47.

The Model 250 family includes a variety of types, including the 420-450 shp Series II turboshaft, the 420-450 shp Series II turboprop, the Model 250-K34 industrial engine, the military Model 250-C30R/3, and the 650-715 shp Series IV turboshaft. The latest Model 250-C47B turboshaft is a FADEC-equipped engine that produces 650 mechanical shaft horsepower (813 thermodynamic shp) at take-off.