Yet, it’s not just moving people that Bell is putting their talented staff in. Nick is also involved with the new delivery drone called the Autonomous Pod Transport, or APT. This has applications for both military and the civilians. He said, “The APT will be able to deliver up to 100 pounds of cargo to soldiers in hard-to-reach places up to about 50 miles away.” The APT can also be used by companies like Amazon, FedEx and UPS.
Bell is creating new products and services all the time! They constantly make new technology and equipment for helicopters and other vehicles. It is fair to say that they will create more pilotless flight and electric-powered vehicles in the future.
While Nick is working on the commercial side of Bell, Shawn Smithe’s story is a little bit different. After graduating from high school, he “just went straight to college.” There he got his aerospace engineering degree and started working for Lockheed Martin. Five years later, he came to work for Bell. Shawn said, “I currently work on the military programs as a fuels system engineer. I make sure that the fuel system on the Blackhawk helicopters work as it is supposed to.” He also creates changes and upgrades to that system.
Shawn likes working for Bell because they regularly “push the envelope” a bit further than Lockheed Martin. They also have more chances for him to move up in his current job. While he was looking to leave Lockheed Martin, he found out that people like to stay with Bell more than at other companies.
Shawn is excited about two of Bell’s latest military projects, the Valor and the Invictus. “Bell is currently bidding to create a replacement for the Apache attack helicopters with a new aircraft called the Invictus. They are also looking at an upgrade for the Osprey, called the Valor.” Both aircraft will create more jobs and make sure that Bell stays at the top of its game. They will be able to make new military vertical lift technology for the next several decades. Although he couldn’t share details about these projects, he was able to offer these juicy nuggets of information about them.
Shawn states, “Most of it is classified, but what I can tell you is that the Valor will have weapons capabilities, which the Osprey does not, and can hold more personnel. The Invictus has internal weapons, is a bit stealthier, has greater range and speed than its predecessor.” They will give the military the capability to protect troops on the ground and get them to where they need to go faster and safer.
All these new technologies that Bell is making will set them as the only vertical lift company for the U.S. military. They are going to make it easier for the military to do their jobs. Because of this, you can bet that Bell is worth the time and money that they spend on the vertical lift and technological development.
