Bell lands $300 million contract for military helicopter upgrades in Amarillo
AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Bell Textron was awarded an estimated $300 million U.S. Navy contract to upgrade as many as 49 Marine Corps helicopters at the company’s Amarillo Assembly Center.
Work is expected to begin in Amarillo in mid-2027, with the first upgraded aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2028.
The contract covers structural and electrical upgrades to 21 UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and 28 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. The work is part of Bell’s Structural and Power Improvements for NextGen Effects program, known as SPINE.
The upgrades will increase the helicopters’ electrical capacity and allow the Marine Corps to add new weapons, defensive systems, data links and other battlefield technology.
“Beginning SPINE Phase 3.0 emphasizes the importance of this essential modernization effort and enables the USMC H-1 fleet to remain competitive with current and future capabilities,” Bell program manager Danielle Markham said in a statement.
Bell said upgrades will include an advanced and scalable aircraft architecture, aircrew safety improvements and changes to the UH-1Y’s fast-rope, hoist and litter equipment used during personnel recovery missions.
The aircraft also will be equipped to support improved defensive systems, digital interoperability, Link 16 communications and long-range, network-enabled weapons.
Bell previously completed SPINE upgrades on one UH-1Y and one AH-1Z in Amarillo. Those aircraft were sent to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland for flight testing after the work was completed in fall 2025.
The new contract marks the beginning of broader fleet modification work at Bell’s Amarillo facility. Bell said the modernization effort is intended to keep the Marine Corps’ H-1 fleet operationally relevant into the 2040s.
The contract includes a base period and three option years.