Cheap and angry: Bell develops a armament line for civilian helicopters (photo)

The company believes that their civilian versions of helicopters can be armed with missiles and machine guns. Such aircraft will be useful for countries that cannot afford a full military helicopter. The American company Bell is developing a new package of weapons for its civilian helicopters. After the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation, a new market is opened for the proceedings. About it reports The War Zone.

Due to the full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, punitive sanctions significantly limit the Russian aviation industry. Therefore, countries that traditionally exploit Russian helicopters are now looking for new sellers in the West. Bell develops a armament line for civilian helicopters to give new opportunities for those who cannot afford to buy a light shock helicopter like H-1. One of these helicopters was Bell 407.

It is located in a number of countries, including Eastern Europe and Africa. It has the function of installing equipment after sale, which will allow it to be armed. The helicopter may be determined: stress tests have been stated. At the same time, 407 will be sold with direct commercial sales (DCS) rather than foreign military sales (FMS). The latter require the approval of Congress and the State Department.

The company wants to offer special versions of all its models of civilian helicopters for different military and semi -war goals. The 407th can play the roles of a light river and a scout, less than 505 as a military-educational helicopter. The larger 525th, which can accommodate 16 passengers in their back cabin, will eventually be offered as a search and rescue board. The advantage of such a solution will be cheaper service and unit cost than a military helicopter.