The Bell 429 is a light twin-engine helicopter based on the 427 but with a bigger cabin. The Bell 429 is capable of single-pilot IFR and Runway Category A operations. Development began in 2004 and 136 orders were made the first year.
The Bell 429 has a four-blade rotor system with soft-in-plane flex beams. The rotor blades are composite and have swept tips for reduced noise. The tail rotor is made by stacking a pair of two-blade rotors at uneven intervals (to form an X) for reduced noise. The passenger cabin provides 130 cubic feet of space and comes with a flat floor for patient loading in EMS configuration. A set of rear clamshell doors under tail boom is optional for easier patient loading.
The 429 has a glass cockpit with three-axis autopilot and flight director standard. Standard landing gear are skids. A retractable wheel landing gear is optional and adds 5 knots to cruising speed. The main transmission is rated for 5,000 hours between overhauls and the tail-rotor gearbox is rated for 3,200 hours.
The prototype first flew on February 27, 2007, and received type certification on July 1, 2009.