Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has announced the delivery of three Bell 505 helicopters to the Royal Bahrain Air Force. Bell delivered the aircraft during an inspection and acceptance event in February 2023 at Bell’s Mirabel facility. The Bahrain Defense Force has also flown the Bell 212 helicopter and multiple generations of AH-1 attack helicopters. This latest delivery marks the first 505 helicopters for the country and includes a package with training, tooling, and spares.
The Kingdom of Bahrain joins other countries in the region employing the Bell 505 as their advanced military trainer of choice. Horizon International Flight Academy in the UAE operates 12 Bell 505 helicopters, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force signed an agreement for 10 Bell 505s in November 2022. More than 30 Bell 505 helicopters operate throughout the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, the Bell 505 is the military training helicopter for the Montenegro Air Force, the Republic of Korea Army and the Republic of Korea Navy.