Newsroom

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Defense will award Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron, Inc., a contract in the amount of $2.2 billion. The contract calls for Bell Helicopter to produce 368 new aircraft for the U.S. Army and is expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the Fort Worth and Amarillo areas. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Chairman of the Senate's Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee, applauded the decision, noting that Texas has long been the leader in equipping the armed forces."This contract is great news for Texas and the hundreds of employees at Bell Helicopter," said Sen. Cornyn, a member of the Armed Services Committee. "The production of these helicopters will create hundreds of jobs for Texans and provide a further boost to the state's economy. As the military transforms to adapt to new and changing threats, this next generation of aircraft will be critical in keeping America safe and defending freedom."Bell Helicopter has been contracted to build its new model, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), for use by the Army. The ARH will have advanced capabilities and will replace the Bell OH-58D, also known as the Kiowa Warrior Helicopter. The agreement requires that Bell deliver the new aircraft between 2006 and 2013. Sen. Cornyn is a member of the following key Senate Committees: Armed Services; Judiciary; Budget, Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Joint Economic. Cornyn was previously Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.