Bell Helicopter awarded a nearly half-billion dollar attack & utility helicopter contract

May 13, 2016

Fort Worth, Texas (May 11, 2016)Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, was awarded a $461.1 million contract in March 2016 from the U.S. Pentagon to supply the U.S. Marine Corps with more than two dozen new utility and attack helicopters. The contract includes 12 UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and 16 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and the associated auxiliary fuel kits.

“The UH-1Y utility and AH-1Z attack helicopters continue to perform for the United States Marine Corps, delivering on our promise of technologically advanced aircraft the Marines can rely on to accomplish their challenging missions,” said Lisa Atherton, executive vice president of Military Business for Bell Helicopter. “The Venom and Viper are a powerful, comprehensive duo, designed and manufactured to reduce logistical requirements and environmentally hardened to perform for armed forces over land or sea.”

The Bell AH-1Z Viper is among the world’s most lethal anti-armor attack helicopter, capable of carrying the widest array of ordnance of any helicopter in the world. Target identification is crucial in the modern battlefield, and the Bell AH-1Z’s Target Sight System provides the longest range and highest accuracy of any helicopter sight available, as it allows the operators of the AH-1Z to identify and track multiple targets outside the enemy’s ability to visually detect the Viper. Unlike other attack helicopters, the AH-1Z Viper has integrated air-to-air strike capability in addition to superior air-to-ground anti-armor performance. This capability set makes the AH-1Z the ideal platform to meet the requirements of land warfare scenarios in any of the potential hot spots around the world.

The Bell UH-1Y Venom is a combat-proven utility helicopter slated to support the United States Marine Corps’ global missions for the next four decades. The Bell UH-1Y engages threats, inserts or exfiltrates personnel and performs under the most punishing operating conditions, making it the ultimate tactical utility helicopter. The Bell UH-1Y was first deployed with the United States Marine Corps in 2009. The Huey lineage can be traced back to combat action in Vietnam, but today’s Bell UH-1Y is a new construction, thoroughly modern, marinized combat aircraft.

These attack and utility helicopters are currently in production with the work being performed in the Fort Worth, Texas manufacturing facility and also in the Amarillo, Texas aircraft assembly facility. This contract is part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ H-1 Program of Record, calling for the purchase of 189 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and 160 UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters.

Press Contact:
ANDREW WOODWARD
+1 817-280-3100
mediarelations@bh.com
Online Media Kit | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

About Bell Helicopter

Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor 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 a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, 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, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changing priorities or reductions in the U.S. Government defense budget, including those related to military operations in foreign countries; our ability to perform as anticipated and to control costs under contracts with the U.S. Government; the U.S. Government’s ability to unilaterally modify or terminate its contracts with us for the U.S. Government’s convenience or for our failure to perform, to change applicable procurement and accounting policies, or, under certain circumstances, to withhold payment or suspend or debar us as a contractor eligible to receive future contract awards.

Connect with Textron IR

David Rosenberg, Vice President, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288
Kyle Williams, Manager, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288

Email Alert

Enter your Email *
Mailing Lists *





 
Enter the code shown above.