Design work on the 222 began in the late 1960s, with the goal of producing a helicopter for commercial use, particularly with off-shore oil rigs. Notably one of the few Bell helicopters without military backing, development began in January 1974 when Bell displayed a mock up, known as the Model D306, at the annual Helicopter Association of America convention, leading to the construction of five prototypes, the first of these flying on 13 August 1976. Deliveries of completed examples began in 1980, with a total of 198 built before production of the 222 ended in 1991. A more powerful version called the Model 230 was introduced the same year, of which 38 were built between 1992 and 1995. Many of both variants are still used for executive transport and utility purposes.