Bell 400

Infobox Aircraft
name= Bell 400/440 TwinRanger


caption= A Bell 400 prototype
type=Multipurpose utility helicopter
manufacturer=Bell Helicopter Textron
designer=
first flight=1984
introduced=
retired=
status=Active service
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=
unit cost=
developed from = Bell 206L
variants with their own articles =

The Bell 400/440 TwinRanger were twin-engine developments of the Model 206L LongRanger, while the Bell 400A was a single-engine version of the 400.

Development

Bell has tried several incarnations of a twin version of its successful Bell 206 series. The "TwinRanger" name dates back to the mid 1980s when Bell first considered developing a twin engine version of the LongRanger.

The Bell 400 TwinRanger featured a reprofiled fuselage, two Allison 250 turboshafts, the OH-58D Kiowa's four blade main rotor, and a new shrouded tail rotor.Frawley, Gerard: "The International Directiory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004", page 43. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7] Bell also planned the single-engined 400A, and the 440 twin with a larger fuselage made possible by a high degree of composites.cite book |last= Apostolo|first= Giorgio|authorlink= |coauthors= Elfan ap Rees|title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters|year= 1984|publisher= Bonanza Books|location= New York, NY, USA|isbn= 0-517-439352| pages = 50] The Bell 400 first flew on April 4 1984. Bell suspended development of the 400/440 family in the late 1980s as it felt unable to achieve a protifable production rate of 120 units a year.

uccessors

After the success of Tridair's Gemini ST twin engine conversions of the 206L in the early 1990s, Bell produced the equivalent Bell 206LT TwinRanger based on the 206L-4. Only 13 206LTs were built between 1994 and 1997. The 206LT was replaced in Bell's line-up by the Bell 427, a mostly-new development of the Bell 407, itself a four-bladed single-engine derivative of the 206L.

Variants

;Bell 400 : ;Bell 400A : Projected model to be powered by one PW209T turboshaft of 937 shp.;Bell 440 :

pecifications (Bell 400)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= copter
jet or prop?= prop

ref=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters

crew=1 pilot
capacity=5 passengers
length main= ft in
length alt= m
span main= 35 ft 0 in
span alt= 10.60 m
height main= ft in
height alt= m
area main= 2 ft²
area alt= m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,075 lb
empty weight alt= 1,400kg
loaded weight main= lb
loaded weight alt= kg
useful load main= lb
useful load alt= kg
max takeoff weight main= 5,500lb
max takeoff weight alt= 2,495 kg
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main= lbf
thrust alt= kN
thrust original=
afterburning thrust main= lbf
afterburning thrust alt= kN
engine (prop)=Rolls-Royce plc Allison 250-C20P
type of prop=turboshaft
number of props=2
power main= 420 hp
power alt= kW
power original=
max speed main= knots
max speed alt= 172 mph, 278 km/h
cruise speed main= knots
cruise speed alt= mph, 259 km/h
never exceed speed main= knots
never exceed speed alt= mph, km/h
stall speed main= knots
stall speed alt= mph, km/h
range main= 394 nm
range alt= mi, 730 km
ceiling main= 10,000 ft
ceiling alt= 3,048 m
climb rate main= 2,000 ft/min
climb rate alt= m/s
loading main= lb/ft²
loading alt= kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= hp/lb
power/mass alt= W/kg
more performance=

armament=

avionics=

References

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Bell 206L/LT
* Bell 407
* Bell 427

similar aircraft=

sequence=
* 409 - 412 - 417 - 427 - 429 - 430 - 533

lists=
see also=

External links

* [http://www.bellhelicopter.com Official Bell Helicopter website]
* [http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bell_400.php Bell 400/440 on aviastar.org]