Bell 430

The Bell 430 is an American and Canadian twin-engine light-medium helicopter built by Bell Helicopter, a stretched and more powerful development of the Bell 230, which was itself based on the Bell 222. While developing the re-engined 230, Bell began design work in 1991 on a stretched derivative with a four-blade main rotor, and it launched the 430 formally in February 1992 with two prototypes modified from 230s. The first flew in the new configuration on 25 October 1994 and the second, with the full avionics suite, on 19 December 1994. Canadian certification came on 23 February 1996. Like the 230 it has Rolls-Royce Allison 250 turboshaft engines, though the 430's are ten percent more powerful. Production ended in 2008 after 136 helicopters.