The Republic of Korea (ROK) will purchase up to 40 of Bell’s 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters for Army and Navy pilot training.

Announcing the contract on May 17, Textron subsidiary Bell said it will produce and deliver the plane to Seoul by 2025.

“The selection of the Bell 505 by the Republic of Korea after a rigorous review process confirms that it is the world’s preferred next-generation military helicopter trainer for pilot training,” said Patrick. Moulay, Bell’s senior vice president of international commercial sales.

It was not South Korea’s first attempt to secure a basic flight training helicopter. Two previous attempts in 2018 and 2015 failed for reasons related to technical performance and cost, FlightGlobal reported.

The ROK Defense Acquisition Program Administration launched a third attempt in late 2020, at which time Bell offered 505.

The 505s will be delivered to both the ROK Army and Navy. These forces join the Indonesian Navy, Jamaican Air Force, Japanese Coast Guard, United Arab Emirates Army, and Montenegro Defense Force, using Bell 505s as helicopters. coaching.

Bell says the global fleet of 505 single-engine aircraft reached 100,000 flight hours in February 2022. More than 360 aircraft have been delivered to customers worldwide since 2017.