Michael Deslatte was named senior vice president for the Bell 525 program in August 2024 and is a member of Bell’s Executive Leadership Team. He is responsible for leading the Bell 525 entry-into-service and type certification efforts, including working closely with regulatory agencies and managing remaining flight test operations in conjunction with Bell’s Engineering team.

Prior to this position, Michael led the H-1 and Special Missions Aircraft programs as the Senior Vice President and Program Director. During his tenure at Bell, he has served as the vice president and program manager for the H-1, Special Missions Aircraft, MQ-8C and AW-609 programs. In 2018, Michael served as the program manager for the H-1, where he directed the day-to-day tactical execution of all program-related efforts, including the Structural Improvement and Electrical Power Upgrade (SIEPU) and Lead Technology Integration (LTI) efforts in development in support of U.S. Marine Corps priorities. Michael has led the H-1 team to achieve over 95 aircraft deliveries on time or early to contract.

Before joining the H-1 team, he served as the commercial program director for medium helicopters, principally supporting the Bell 412, and was program manager for the Japan UH-X program in partnership with SUBARU in Japan. Michael also held key positions during the development of the Bell 525 from initial development through first flight, most notably as the manager of the Bell 525 airframe and propulsion structures IPT.

Since joining the aerospace industry in 2003, Michael has held various engineering roles of increasing responsibility, including significant contributions to the Bell 429 program, the development of the Gulfstream G650, the Bell 417/ARH, and numerous research programs on advanced aerospace structures.

Michael holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.