Fort Worth Police Updates Fleet With New JetRanger

March 14, 2004

HAI 2004 - Las Vegas, NV - March 14, 2004 - This month, the Fort Worth Police Air Support Division will introduce its new Bell 206B3 JetRanger at a delivery ceremony during Heli-Expo 2004. The new aircraft will replace an existing JetRanger in the divisions' fleet.

The Air Support Division will employ the JetRanger for a wide range of mission applications including surveillance, suspect pursuits, and search and rescue operations. Jay Paschke, Chief Pilot for the Air Support Division, states, "We're the eye in the sky. The helicopters are an invaluable tool to our guys on the ground." The aircraft are specially equipped with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) that provides thermal imaging capabilities that helps locate people who may be lost or hiding.

The JetRangers in service with the Fort Worth Police Air Support Division typically log 2,500 hours of flight time annually in support of ground operations. Air Support Division statistics indicate that in 2003 the Bell helicopters responded to over 3000 calls for assistance. They assisted with making over 500 arrests, 50 of which involved the use of infrared technology, and also recovering 37 stolen automobiles. Those statistics are pretty standard for the unit. The Air Support Division helps make the community safer by providing quick response times and surveillance support.

The JetRanger provides the Fort Worth Police with a safe and reliable aircraft at one of the lowest direct operating costs in the industry. Mr. Paschke, who also holds the distinction of being the 90,000th customer of the Bell Training Academy, described the role Bell plays in their operation by saying, "The City of Fort Worth has chosen the Bell Training Academy as our exclusive partner for all maintenance and flight training since we began operating our first helicopter in 1968. We are extremely proud of our safety record and owe a large part of our success to Bell for the superb training received over the years."

Bell Helicopter Textron, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a $1.6 billion, leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce of over 7,500 employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.

Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a $10 billion multi-industry company with more than 43,000 employees in 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services in industries such as aircraft, fastening systems, industrial products, industrial components and finance. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.

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