Case Study: Bell Helicopter achieves 90% faster integration and rapid development with MathWorks Model-Based Design (Simulink & Embedded Coder)

Bell Helicopter Develops World’s First Commercial Fly-By-Wire Helicopter

Bell Helicopter set out to develop the Bell 525 Relentless, the world’s first commercial fly‑by‑wire helicopter, and needed to accelerate a DO‑178B Level A software development process that had been slowed by manual coding, reviews, and integration. To meet aggressive flight‑test schedules and reduce rework, Bell Helicopter turned to MathWorks’ Model‑Based Design approach, using Simulink, Stateflow, and Embedded Coder to design, simulate, and generate flight‑control code.

Using MathWorks tools, Bell modeled 900 high‑level requirements in Simulink/Stateflow, linked them with Simulink Requirements, verified designs with Simulink Check and Coverage, and generated about 16,000 lines of C with Embedded Coder, validated by Simulink Code Inspector and test reuse. The result: integration time was cut by 90%, development iterations fell from weeks to hours, confidence in code quality was maintained, and the Bell 525 achieved a successful first flight.

Bell Helicopter

Jillian Alfred

Lead