By way of an agreement between Bell Helicopter, Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development Co. Ltd. (SAIDC) and Xi’an Helicopter Company Ltd. (XHC), Bell 407GXPs can now be assembled in China. Announced at Airshow China this week, the company said the signed framework agreement to create a new company, which covers assembly, resale and purchase agreements for the aircraft.

Assembly and support capabilities will be developed in Xi’an, wher both XHC and SAIDC, subsidiary of Shaanxi Energy Group, are located. Development of in-country maintenance, training and customer support capabilities is also part of the agreement. The purchase part of the framework will be negotiated so that the newly created company will purchase 100 Bell 407GXPs over five years.

There are currently more than 45 Bell 407s operating in China, carrying out multiple missions. The Bell 407GXPs will carry out multiple operations, like its predecessor, including helicopter emergency medical services and law enforcement.