Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a light helicopter. It was designed and built in the United States by Bell Helicopters.[1] It was originally designed for civilian purposes. It was changed to be used by the military,[2] including the US Army.[3] It first flew in December 1962. Its manufacturing stopped in 2010. Licence-built were occurred to Italian company Agusta.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Starr_080207-2255_Bell_206B_helicopter_%28N5743H%29_at_Kahului_Heliport.jpg/220px-Starr_080207-2255_Bell_206B_helicopter_%28N5743H%29_at_Kahului_Heliport.jpg)
Specifications
Bell 206 is 39.8½ feet (12.11 meters) long, 33.4 feet (10.16 meters) diameter, and 9.4½ feet (2.88 meters) tall. A minimum mass that weighs 1,713 pounds (777 kg) and at the maximum mass that weighs 3,200 pounds (1 451 kg). It's powered by an Allison 250 engine driving a helicopter rotor with two blades.
Variants
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Air_Mauritius_Bell_206B-3_JetRanger_III_Rioux-2.jpg/220px-Air_Mauritius_Bell_206B-3_JetRanger_III_Rioux-2.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Bell_206B_%22JetRanger_II%22_-_AirExpo_Muret_2007_0063_2007-05-12.jpg/220px-Bell_206B_%22JetRanger_II%22_-_AirExpo_Muret_2007_0063_2007-05-12.jpg)
Civil variants
- Bell 206.
- Bell 206A.
- Agusta-Bell 206A, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206A-1.
- Agusta-Bell 206A-1, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206B.
- Agusta-Bell 206B, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206B-2.
- Bell 206B-3.
- Bell 206L LongRanger.[5]
- Agusta-Bell 206L, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II.
- Agusta-Bell 206L-1, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206L-1+ LongRanger.
- Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III.
- Agusta-Bell 206L-3, license-built in Italy.
- Bell 206L-3+ LongRanger.
- Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV.
- Bell 206LT TwinRanger.
Military variants
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/TH57C_boat_ops.jpg/220px-TH57C_boat_ops.jpg)
- Bell TH-57A, B, C, D Sea Ranger : Training military variant built for US Navy and US Marines Corps.
- Bell OH-58A, B, C Kiowa : Observation and militaries light liaisons variant built for US Army.
- Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior : Observation and light attack[6] variant built for US Army.
- Bell TH-67A : Training military variant built for US Army.
- Bell CH-139 : Mulit-purpose military variant of Bell 206B-3 built for Canada.
Users
Civil users
The Bell 206 is a very popular helicopter and was sold in many countries in the world, particularly in USA, Canada, and in Europe.
Military users
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force_Air_Wing_Bell_206B_JetRanger_II_MTI-1.jpg/220px-Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force_Air_Wing_Bell_206B_JetRanger_II_MTI-1.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/OH-58D_2.jpg/220px-OH-58D_2.jpg)
In 2013, current and former users of Bell 206 included:
Similar aircraft
- Eurocopter AS-350 Ecureuil.
- PZL-Swidnic SW-4.
References
Other websites
- Official website of Bell 206L-4 Archived 2013-04-24 at the Wayback Machine