The Bell 214ST is a medium-lift, twin-engine

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

descended from

Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in M ...

's ubiquitous

UH-1 Huey The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

series. Though it shares a type number with the somewhat-related

Bell 214 The Bell 214 is a medium-lift helicopter derived from Bell Helicopter's ubiquitous UH-1 Huey series. The Bell 214ST shares the same model number, but is a larger, much-modified twin-engine derivative. Design and development The original dev ...

, the 214ST is larger and of quite different appearance.

Design and development

The Bell 214ST was originally developed as a military project from the Bell 214B BigLifter, specifically for production in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and the development by Bell was funded by the Iranian government.Apostolo, Giorgio. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters'', p. 54. New York: Bonanza Books, 1984. . The fundamental difference was the replacement of the Model 214's single Lycoming LTC-4

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

engine with two

General Electric T700 The General Electric T700 and CT7 are a family of turboshaft and turboprop engines in the class. Design and development In 1967, General Electric began work on a new turboshaft engine demonstrator designated the "GE12" in response to US Army i ...

engines, to improve the helicopter's hot and high performance and improve safety. An interim twin-engine conversion of a Model 214 flew on 15 February 1977 in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

,Green, William, ''Observers Aircraft'', p. 228. Frederick Warne Publishing, 1991. .''Air International'' October 1982, p. 165. Testing was successful, and Bell decided to press forward with a definitive twin-engine Bell 214ST, with a fuselage stretched by and a revised main rotor of greater diameter. Iran changed its production plans, with 50 Bell 214A and 350 214STs to be built at the new production plant to be set up at

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

, Iran.''Air International'' October 1982, pp. 165–166. Work started on three conforming prototypes in 1978.Donald, David, ed. "Bell Model 214ST". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. . The overthrow of the Shah in 1979 resulted in the cancellation of Iran's orders. By this time the new helicopter had attracted sufficient interest from other potential customers for Bell to continue with the project and build the 214ST at their Dallas-Fort Worth facility instead. As a result, it was launched as a civil helicopter, rather than a military one.Lambert ''Flight International'' 30 June 1979, p. 2345.''Air International'' October 1982, p. 166. Bell214STSuperTransporterN724HT

The first of the three full 214ST prototypes flew on 21 July 1979. Manufacturing of production 214STs began in 1981. Type certification from the FAA and CAA for visual and instrument flight rules was awarded in 1982.Pelletier, Alain J. ''Bell Aircraft Since 1935''. US Naval Institute Press, 1992. . The military variant followed into production with helicopter deliveries commencing in 1982. The Bell 214ST included major design changes from the Bell 214. The Bell 214ST has a larger, stretched fuselage with seating for 16-18 passengers, and two GE CT7-2A engines.Green, William. ''Observers Aircraft'', p. 224. Frederick Warne Publishing, 1987. . The helicopter introduced some ground-breaking innovations for Bell, including a one-hour run-dry transmission, fiberglass rotor blades, elastomeric rotorhead bearings, and the option of either skid or wheeled landing gear. The helicopter has a cockpit door and a large cabin door on each side. The 214ST has a fuel capacity of 435 US gallons (1,650 L). An auxiliary fuel system could be added.Lambert, M. "Bell 214ST". ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1990-91''. Jane's Information Group, 1990.
(subscription article)
/ref> The Model 214ST was the largest helicopter that had been built by Bell at that time (since surpassed by the

Bell 525 Relentless The Bell 525 Relentless is an American super-medium-lift helicopter, under development by Bell Textron. The Bell 525 was unveiled at the 2012 Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas in February 2012. The helicopter first flew on 1 July 2015. It is designed ...

) The ST was originally an acronym for "Stretched Twin", but was later changed to "Super Transporter".Frawley, Gerard. ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004'', p. 44. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. . Bell built a total of 96 214STs with production ending in 1993."Bell 214ST Supertransport" (subscription article)
''Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems''. Jane's Information Group, November 28, 2011. The military operators included

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

(48),Timmerman, Kenneth R. ''The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq''. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

(1),

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

(11),

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(9) and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

(4).

Operators

Military operators

;

Iraqi Model 214ST SuperTransport helicopter, 1991

Royal Brunei Air Force The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) ( ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei, abbreviation ''TUDB'') is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is mainly based at the Rimba Air Force Base within the Brunei International Airport. ; *

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

Civil operators

; * Helicopter Transport Services ; * Presidential Airways * Evergreen Helicopters ; *

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法 ...

British Caledonian Helicopters Bell 214ST

Former operators

; *

CHC Helikopter Service CHC Helikopter Service, previously CHC Norway, CHC Helikopter Service and Helikopter Service is the Norwegian division of CHC Helicopter Corporation. The airline was an independent company until 1999. It operates primarily to oil platforms on ...

; *

Iraqi Air Force The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...

; *

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as ...

; * British Caledonian Helicopters *

Bristow Helicopters Bristow Helicopters Limited is a British civil helicopter operator originally based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland, which is currently a part of the U.S.-based Bristow Group (, S&P 600 component) which in turn has its corporate headquarters in ...

; *

Venezuelan Air Force , colours = Bleu celeste , colours_label = , march = , "Hymn of the National Military Aviation" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December (Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honou ...

Aircraft on display

United States *

Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of ...

MCAS Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

"F3D Skyknight/124630."
''Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.'' Retrieved: 16 January 2015.

Specifications (214ST)

References

* "A Big Lifter From Bell". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...

''. Vol. 23, No. 4, October 1982. pp. 163–169. * Lambert, Mark
"214ST: Bell's Super Transport"
''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

''. Vol. 115, No. 3667. 30 June 1979. pp. 2345–2348.

External links

{{Huey family 214ST 1970s United States civil utility aircraft 1970s United States helicopters Twin-turbine helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1977