Textron Systems President and CEO Lisa Atherton has joined the board of directors at Bluemont, Virginia-based nonprofit organization Boulder Crest. Atherton will work with Board Chairman Ken Falke, Vice Chairman Fred Malek, Executive Director Dusty Baxley and 15 other directors, Boulder Crest said Monday. The nonprofit provides support to military veterans who are dealing with post-traumatic […] More

Textron‘s Bell Helicopter subsidiary has completed the prototype build of a tiltrotor aircraft platform designed for the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program under the U.S. Army‘s Future Vertical Lift initiative. Bell said Wednesday it aims to demonstrate its V-280 Valor offering this fall through a maiden flight test. Lockheed Martin built V-280’s cockpit, avionics, distributed aperture system […] More

A Textron subsidiary and Poland’s state-owned defense company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa have signed a letter of intent to explore possible areas of cooperation on the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter platform. The LOI is in addition to a similar agreement Bell Helicopter and PGZ signed last year to identify business opportunities for the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter in Poland, Textron said […] More

Textron‘s Bell Helicopter subsidiary has awarded CPI Aerostructures a potential $14.8 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to supply engine cowl and support assemblies for the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter. The contract will run through Dec. 31, 2020, and falls under the U.S. Marine Corps‘ H-1 Program of Records initiative that seeks up to 189 AH-1Z and 160 UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters, CPI Aero said Tuesday. Douglas […] More

Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron, has introduced a shipborne unmanned aerial system designed to combine helicopters’ vertical lift function with the speed and range of fixed-wing aircraft. Textron said Thursday it expects production of the Bell V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor UAS to  begin in 2023 to support operations in maritime environments and locations without runways. Bell developed the UAS platform to help military customers […] More

Bell Helicopter has received an order to produce two Bell 429s for the Indonesian National Police in order to aid in law enforcement operations and security efforts in the country. Damos Nasution, president of Multi Pacific, said Thursday “the selection of the Bell 429 will help improve the Indonesian Police’s support capability to ensure the […] More

Argentina’s request to buy $80 million in Bell 412EP helicopters built by the Textron subsidiary Bell has received clearance from the State Department. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Wednesday the proposed foreign military sale includes four Bell 412EPs, helicopter major components and spare parts, pilot and maintenance training and logistics support. DSCA said Argentina seeks to bolster its air mobility efforts […] More

Bell Boeing has delivered two MV-22 Osprey flight training simulators to the U.S. Marine Corps’ HMX-1 presidential airlift squadron. The simulators have been installed at the squadron’s Quantico, Virginia-based headquarters, where aircrews will rehearse operations in a virtual setting, Boeing said Tuesday. Randy Deidrick, director of Boeing’s tactical training systems, said the training device is […] More

China-based Chongqing General Aviation has purchased four Bell Helicopter-built aircraft to for parapublic missions such as search and rescue, firefighting and other disaster management efforts. Chris Jaran, managing director for Bell Helicopter in China, said Friday the two Bell 412EPI and two Bell 407GX aircraft are intended to support the Chongqing fire protection bureau. “We needed aircraft with capabilities above […] More

Textron subsidiary Bell Helicopter has won a contract to supply the New York Police Department four twin-engine aircraft for use in law enforcement activities over the city. Bell expects to complete the delivery of its 429 helicopters to the NYPD by next year, Textron said Friday. The NYPD has used Bell helicopters since 1948 to […] More

Aurora Flight Sciences, Bell Textron, Northrop Grumman and Piasecki Aircraft Corp. have begun designing prototypes of an experimental military aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency initiative. DARPA expects one of the contractors to finish designing, prototyping, building and demonstrating the VTOL aircraft by spring of 2027 as part of the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies program.

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Seventeen companies have signed five-year Space Act Agreements with NASA to take part in developmental testing activities as part of the agency’s Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge. NASA said Wednesday the challenge seeks to test the readiness and capabilities of vehicles that could transform mobility in densely populated areas.

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