Bell Helicopter (Booth No. N5612) comes to Heli-Expo ’13 bolstered by additional shipments and certifications for the Bell 429 program, as well as two new deliveries for the Bell 407GX.

Earlier this year, the number of countries to certify the Bell 429 grew to 16 with the receipt of type approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) and the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil of Chile. Both certifications also included approval to operate the twin-turbine, large-cabin light helicopter at a higher gross weight of 7,500 pounds (3,402 kilograms) enabling customers to operate longer and heavier missions.

That news was also accompanied by the first two Bell 429 deliveries on the African continent, to the Nigeria Police Wing (NPAW) and the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency. NPAW has historically operated a large number of Bell helicopters, including the original Bell 47.

Bell announced delivery in February of two Bell 407GX single-turboshaft light helicopters to LifeFlight Eagle, a non-profit emergency air transport service in the Kansas City, Mo. area. CEO Roxanne Shanks said her organization selected the 407GX based on the “high degree of safe, reliable and cost-effective performance” from its current fleet of Bell 407s.

The 407GX is a substantially updated variant of the venerable Bell 206L-4 LongRanger platform that includes a Garmin G1000H glass flight deck.