Bell edging towards 525 certification milestone in late 2026

Multiple signs of progress point towards critical approval for super-medium-twin helicopter arriving in the final quarter.

Bell appears to be finally closing in on certification for its long-running 525 programme, with increasingly strong indications that the approval will be received in late 2026.

In development since 2012, the super-medium-twin 525 is Bell’s new civil flagship, incorporating significant technological enhancements including fly-by-wire controls.

Although the airframer’s leadership said at the Verticon exhibition in March that certification was targeted this year, they declined to say whether that goal would be reached.

But there are now signs the finish line is close, with operator Omni Helicopters International (OHI) outlining a start date for a planned operational evaluation campaign in Guyana and Bell itself readying for the start of critical function and reliability (F&R) testing.

“It is Omni’s intention to begin the operational evaluation around September,” says Jeremy Akel, OHI chief executive.

Omni plans to start that effort around 90 days ahead of type certification, putting the crucial date at some point late in the fourth quarter.

While initially confined to ground tests – such as trials of evacuation procedures and seating configurations – once certification is in place, that will quickly move on to operational flight trials.

Bell and Omni announced the project at the 2025 edition of Verticon and had hoped the evaluation phase would begin that year. However, the continued slow-moving certification process has pushed back the start date.

Once up and running, the six-month trial will see the operator’s local unit, Omni Helicopters Guyana, accumulate around 500 flight hours.

At present, the company does not have any firm orders for the type and Akel declines to say whether negotiations are ongoing.

For its part, Bell says it is “thrilled with our progress” amid continuing Type Inspection Authorization flight testing. It is “closely collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] on all remaining certification efforts,” the manufacturer says.

Although it continues its stance of not providing a target date for certification, there are several strong indications of sustained momentum.

Bell discloses that a critical test campaign using its Relentless Advanced Systems Integration Lab (RASIL) was accepted by the FAA in May, which “marks another significant milestone for the programme”.

That testing “is focused on simulating the response of the aircraft to various flight-control failures, verifying system response, and simulating continued operation of the aircraft post-failure”, the airframer says.

“The RASIL was specifically designed for this testing and incorporates custom hardware to replicate these unusual events.

“Completion of this testing demonstrates compliance with the certification regulations and demonstrates the safety features of the 525 aircraft,” it adds.

The RASIL activity is the final test campaign that must be completed ahead of the start of F&R trials, Bell notes.

The start of F&R testing – part of the overall campaign designed to simulate real-world operations – also appears close: Bell says pre-production aircraft 15 returned to flight on 19 June “in preparation for F&R [testing]”.

However, even as it works towards type certification, the airframer is already planning an increase to the 525’s maximum gross weight.

Bell says it filed a programme notification letter with the FAA late last year that will “initiate the process to increase the maximum gross weight (MGW) of the 525 as a post-type certification development project”.

Although the final increase will only be determined following the test campaign, Bell says it is “anticipating an increase of approximately 500lb” – or 227kg; the airframer lists the MGW of the 525 as 9.3t.

In a standard oil and gas layout, the 525 can carry 16 passengers, but the weight increase could see this increased to 18, FlightGlobal understands.

Bell declines to speculate on the timeline for such an upgrade, noting co-ordination with the FAA will define the overall project timeline”.

“We look forward to bringing this and other additional capabilities to the 525 as we continue to invest in this product beyond the initial type certification effort,” Bell says.