Royal lands contract to support the Bell 525 Relentless project

Royal Engineered Composites has been awarded work for Bell Helicopter's new 525 Relentless. The Relentless program will require Royal to produce approximately 50 part numbers per aircraft. The composite components will be in support of the helicopter's tailboom and cockpit assemblies.

The Bell 525 Relentless will feature sponsons on the aft fuselage for retractable wheeled landing gear and internally-stowed floatation devices. The sponsons will provide a weight-efficient and fuel-efficient configuration for high-speed flight. In addition, a cross-sectional area of the tail boom is reduced to optimize payload and airframe lateral drag in sideward flight.

The Relentless is a Super Medium rotorcraft with expected use in Oil and Gas sector, corporate, emergency medical, firefighting, and parapublic transport. Manufacturing will take place at Bell Helicopter's facility in Amarillo, Texas, and first flight is expected in 2014.

Royal's contributions to the 525 Relentless will not be the first collaboration between Bell Helicopter and Royal. Currently, Royal produces more than 100 part numbers for the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.