Bell

Bell officially introduced its 407M special mission aircraft at the 2023 Army Aviation Association of America Mission Solutions Summit. A variant of the Bell 407 civil utility helicopter, the 407M is designed for military operations such as light attack, special operations, anti-piracy and armed reconnaissance. Bell noted that it is also planning to offer special […]

Textron announced on Monday that it has named Lisa Atherton as the new president and CEO of company subsidiary Bell. Atherton will take over from Mitch Snyder, who will be retiring after more than seven years in the position. The change of leadership will go into effect on April 28, 2023. “Lisa has done an […]

The U.S Government Accountability Office (GAO) has denied a protest filed by Sikorsky that challenged the award of the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) development contract to Bell Textron. The contract, which is valued at approximately $7.1 billion if all options are exercised, was given to Bell for its V-280 Valor tiltrotor last […]

Bell Textron has received certification from the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the Bell 407GXi three-axis autopilot. According to the company, the autopilot is available in a two-axis version that includes pitch control and roll control and the three-axis version that adds yaw control. The system also comes equipped with a stability augmentation […]

Textron Aviation has reported a rise in fourth-quarter (Q4) 2022 aircraft deliveries compared to the same time period in 2021. The company delivered 52 jets and 47 commercial turboprops in the quarter, up from 46 and 43 respectively in Q4 2021. On the rotorcraft side, Textron subsidiary Bell shipped 71 commercial helicopters in the quarter […]

Bell Textron has been awarded a contract to develop its V-280 Valor tiltrotor for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. According to Bell, the initial contract will cover refining the weapon system design, sustainment, digital enterprise, manufacturing, systems integration, flight testing and airworthiness qualification. The Army launched FLRAA in 2019 to “replace […]

Bell Textron announced on Wednesday that it has handed over its 189th AH-1Z Viper twin-engine attack helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). In addition to completing the program of record (POR) for the model, the delivery is also the last for the USMC’s H-1 upgrade program, which was launched in 1996. Bell completed deliveries […]

Textron Aviation has reported revenues of $1.2 billion for the third quarter (Q3) of 2022, a drop of $14 million compared to the same time period last year. According to the company, the decrease was “largely due to lower Citation jet and pre-owned volume, partially offset by favorable pricing and higher aftermarket volume.” Textron delivered […]

Bell Textron has signed a purchase agreement with the Republic of Croatia’s Ministry of Interior for two Subaru Bell 412EPX helicopters. The deal marks the first such agreement for the sale of a 412EPX in Europe. The aircraft are slated to be delivered in October 2023. “The SUBARU Bell 412EPX adds increased payload capabilities to […]

Bell Textron announced on Thursday that it has delivered its 400th Bell 505 Jet Ranger X single-engine helicopter. The aircraft went to U.K.-based Cotswold Aviation owner and Grenade co-founder Al Barratt, who took delivery of the helicopter during a ceremony held at Bell’s facility in Mirabel, Canada. The 505 received its Transport Canada type certificate […]