Bell Helicopter [TXT] and the National Research Council Canada (NRC) said they have signed a 10-year research framework agreement to identify and undertake work of mutual interest in the research and development of technology solutions for the aerospace industry
The agreement, announced July 19 at the Farnborough Air Show, will streamline the process of setting up fee-for-service and collaborative research projects of mutual interest to the two organizations.
“The Government of Canada is committed to ensure the aerospace industry remains strong, internationally competitive and at the leading edge of technology development,” said Minister of Industry the Hon. Tony Clement. “This agreement builds on and expands the National Research Council’s long-standing research and business relationship with Bell Helicopter Textron in an area where Canada has a proven capability.”
President of the NRC John McDougall said: “It will make it even easier for the NRC and Bell Helicopter to combine their expertise to pursue innovations in the lab that will ultimately deliver technology solutions to the global marketplace. Ultimately, these collaborations will make a very real impact on the creation of safer, lighter, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly aircraft.”
With this agreement, the two organizations will continue this productive relationship well into the future.
Projects including the continued exploration of the use of composite materials for aircraft structures and flight-test of new avionics systems are under way. Wind tunnel testing of proposed helicopter design modifications is slated to begin in the fall of 2010.
For more than 50 years, Bell Helicopter and NRC have had a long-standing collaborative research and technology development relationship that has resulted in the development of specifications for helicopter handling qualities, advances in understanding about rotary-wing aerodynamics, and Canadian breakthroughs in manufacturing aircraft structures from composite materials.