Helicopter Supply Chain & Manufacturing Challenges Military Aircraft Procurement Aircraft Orders and Deliveries Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs) Aviation Safety & Regulation Defense Industry & Major Contractors

Bell nears FAA certification for 525 fly‑by‑wire super‑medium after completing flight testing

Bell says it has completed all flight testing required by the FAA for its fly‑by‑wire 525 super‑medium twin and is in the final stages of certification after a 15‑year development. The company plans to ramp production to meet commercial and military demand but hasn’t set a firm entry‑into‑service date.

Discovered 2026-03-09T03:43:24.148491-07:00 | 2026-03-09T03:43:24.148491-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Bell has completed all required flight testing and says it is in the FAA’s final stages for the fly‑by‑wire 525, potentially concluding a 15‑year development cycle and clearing the path to type approval and deliveries.
Certification would trigger Bell’s planned production ramp‑up to serve both civil and military customers; the company reported a 20% rise in military revenue and delivered 78 commercial helicopters in Q4 2025 (source:f6b936e1-930b-4970-b014-3f6a31797eaa).
Regional commercial momentum, including new APAC orders and recent deliveries, underpins demand that could absorb 525 production — suppliers, MROs and lessors should monitor FAA sign‑off and Bell’s rate decisions (source:3c68232b-fb93-4e2a-bdca-0cace03f004d).

Reported By

Vertical Mag AINonline Aviation Week FlightGlobal