Bell Helicopter Wins $423M US Navy Contract for Lot 14 AH-1Z Production

Textron’s Bell Helicopter has won a three-year, $423 million contract from the US Navy to produce and deliver 25 lot 14 AH-1Z attack helicopters in support of the US Marine Corps’ H-1 upgrade program.

The company will perform work till February 2020 under the modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract, the Defense Department said Wednesday.

The Naval Air Systems Command obligated the full contract amount from the service branch’s aircraft procurement funds for fiscal 2016 and 2017.

The Bell AH-1Z aircraft has a target sight platform, glass cockpits compatible with night-vision goggles, communications systems, electronic warfare self-protection tool and a forward-looking infrared system.

The Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopter is based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, that was developed for the United States Marine Corps as part of the H-1 upgrade program.

The AH-1Z features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system.