Bell Helicopter continues to ramp up H-1 production
Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, continues to ramp up its production of H-1 helicopters after receiving a $546 million contract in June for the manufacture and delivery of Lot 7 of the US Marine Corps H-1 Upgrade program.
The contract includes 18 UH-1Y utility helicopters and 11 AH-1Z attack helicopters. Final assembly of the helicopters will take place at Bell's Military Aircraft Assembly and Delivery Center in Amarillo, Texas, with deliveries of Lot 7 aircraft to begin in 2011.
In October 2009, Bell began construction of a $31 million, 137,000-square-foot H-1 flight operations hangar and 500,000 square feet of additional ramp space at its Amarillo facility. Expansion is expected to be complete in October 2010.
Bell delivered one AH-1Z and eight UH-1Ys in 2009 and plans to deliver six AH-1Zs and 14 UH-1Ys in 2010. The company expects to ramp up to delivering 27 aircraft per year in 2012.
The UH-1Y is currently deployed to Afghanistan, flying with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 (HMLA-369), the "Gunfighters."
Source: Bell Helicopter
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