Bell Textron Awarded $43.2 Million Defense Contract for Helicopter Parts

FORT WORTH, Texas — Bell Textron Inc. has been awarded a $43.2 million defense contract to produce advanced helicopter parts for a foreign ally, the Fort Worth-based aerospace manufacturer confirmed Monday.

Under the contract, Bell will supply 32 gearboxes for its AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom military helicopters, both developed under the U.S. Marine Corps' H-1 upgrade program. The parts will be sold to the Czech Republic through the Foreign Military Sales program, with the Czech government releasing approximately $21 million — roughly 49 percent of the total — when the contract was awarded.

The Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support office in Pennsylvania is the awarding agency. All work will be performed at Bell's Fort Worth facility and is scheduled for completion by June 2030.

> "The H-1 program continues to be a vital capability for our allies," the company stated in contract filings. Bell has delivered more than 400 H-1 aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps since the program's inception.

The contract comes as Bell navigates a period of transition. The company laid off 285 employees — approximately 3 percent of its workforce — across facilities in Fort Worth, Amarillo, and Wichita, Kansas, earlier in June and began a three-week furlough for certain employees on June 15, citing alignment with market realities.

Bell is also moving forward with a separate $632 million investment in a north Fort Worth factory at 15100 N. Beach Street, where it will produce components for the MV-75 Cheyenne II, the aircraft selected for the U.S. Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program. The 450,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in early 2027.

Sources

Fort Worth Report, June 30, 2026