Fort Worth, TX - February 6, 2008 - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced that 2007 was a banner year for helicopter orders with a total of 365 total orders taken.
Bob Fitzpatrick, Bell's senior vice president for Marketing and Sales said, "Bell Helicopter once again has shown that our commercial products continue to resonant in the marketplace and customer demand remains high. It is both humbling and gratifying to know the importance our products play in our customer's success."
Bell's model 407 continues to lead the way as Bell's most popular commercial product, followed by the new 429, the 412EP and the 206L4. Bell's also sold 26 Huey II kits. These kits represent a popular way for customers to get the latest performance upgrades in a cost-effective manner and extend the life of their Huey fleets.
Danny Maldonado, Bell's vice president Commercial Business Development stated, "Customer demand continues to drive our backlog higher, which now totals $3.8 Billion and represents a 28% increase over 2006. With the continued high demand for our products, our challenge is now to meet this demand in a timely manner.
Bell has announced plans to streamline its product line and believes this action will enable the company to significantly increase production of its most popular models.
About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tilt rotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is an $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company , Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.
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