Shlachter & Co.: Bell Helicopter moving ahead on larger long-distance aircraft

NMP. It’s the new buzzword at Bell Helicopter.

NMP is short for New Medium Product, corporate-speak for what is likely Bell’s next all new helicopter, a bigger bird designed to fly a bunch of people long distances — like to offshore oil rigs.

Bell execs have talked in general terms for a couple of years about pursuing a big helicopter. The effort gained steam in recent months.

A team of engineers, marketing people and others have been meeting and working at Bell’s Xworx research and development facility in Arlington trying to sort out such details as what the market needs and what it’s willing to pay.

With high oil prices apparently here to stay and even more offshore oil drilling likely, the market for new, modern helicopters capable of carrying 15 or more passengers 200 or more miles one way is growing.

Bell’s not really a player in that market now. The latest version of the old Bell 412 is a newer version of an older product and can’t cover the long distances. Bell worked with Agusta on what is now the AW139, a very modern and capable aircraft that is selling well, but Bell pulled out of that venture.

The BA609 civil tilt-rotor, with higher speed and long range, was seen as ideal for the offshore oil market, but it’s limited to six to nine passengers.

Several helicopters are in the long-range market already — notably Sikorsky and Eurocopter, the latter with a new bird in the works. But Bell officials say they’re confident of building a new aircraft that will win plenty of business.

Bell is keeping a tight lid on its deliberations, although there are some hints that the company is now looking to build a larger aircraft than it was even a few months ago.

"We’re not getting specific until we’re good and ready," said Nick Lappos, senior vice president of Xworx. "When we are, the customers will vote with their feet."

Grounded, again, still

August has been a lost month so far for the F-35 joint strike fighter program, at least as far as flying goes.

Both of the F-35 test aircraft have been parked all month because of technical issues. Test plane No. 1 (AA-1, in program lingo) last flew July 23. Test plane No. 2 (BF-1; we won’t try to explain the lingo here), the newest one, last flew July 30.

Lockheed officials say the planes don’t have big problems — faulty cooling fans in AA-1, some software glitch in BF-1.

AA-1 has made 45 flights since its debut, in December 2006, and 26 since it resumed flying in December 2007 after a seven-month grounding to correct a serious flight control problem.

It was due to be flown to Edwards Air Force Base in June, then July; it may be flown there in September.

But the problem is that the program is already two years or more behind schedule and well over budget and has plenty of detractors and government watchdogs closely monitoring progress, or lack thereof.

Ideally, the two aircraft would make a couple of flights each week, slowly chipping away at the thousands of hours of flight tests required before planes can be turned over to the military.

As the watchdog Government Accountability Office has said repeatedly, much to the dismay of Lockheed and the Pentagon, the program is already on a very tight, much-delayed schedule.

The later that flight tests take place, the greater the likelihood that major problems will be discovered after numerous airplanes are in production, causing redesign work, more delays and still higher costs.

The clock is ticking, and so is the cost calculator.