Navy asks Bell to build 25 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and avionics

摘要

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, M.--Military helicopter designers at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, will build 25 new AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and avionics for the U.S. Marine Corps under terms of a near-half-billion-dollar U.S. Navy order announced in January. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command announced a $439.6 million order to Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, to manufacture and deliver 25 Lot 16 production AH-1Z aircraft. The order includes 25 stores control units. The AH-1Z is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the Bell AH-1W Su-perCobra that features a four-blade rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target-sighting system. It has upgraded avionics, weapons, and electro-optical sensors designed to find targets at long ranges and attack them with precision weapons. The Marine Corps H-1 upgrades program is building new helicopters, as well as rebuilding legacy AH-1W Su-perCobra attack helicopters and UH-1N Twin Huey utility helicopters, with state-of-the-art designs. The program seeks to upgrade AH-1Ws to AH-1Zs, and UH-1Ns to UH-1Ys.