In a press release dated April 17, Bell Textron announced the establishment of its subsidiary, Bell Textron Ukraine. The new entity will support the company's current and future activities in Ukraine, including helicopter maintenance, repair, and eventual assembly. The company also plans to open a dedicated office in Ukraine and is pursuing a long-term industrial cooperation strategy.
According to Senior Vice President for Strategic Projects Jeffrey Schloesser, the creation of the subsidiary marks an important step toward practical and mutually beneficial cooperation with Ukraine's defense-industrial sector. "Bell is committed to establishing a presence in Ukraine to support cooperation and long-term growth," he noted.
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Bell Textron emphasizes that its helicopters have strong potential both for strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and for forming the foundation of a long-term industrial partnership. The company highlights key advantages of platforms such as the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom, including a high degree of component commonality (around 85%) and operational flexibility.
It is important to recall that six months ago, in October 2025, Ukraine officially launched the process of acquiring AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom transport helicopters. At that time, Bell and the Ukrainian government signed a Letter of Intent to assess industrial cooperation and a potential sale of these helicopters for Ukraine’s Defense Forces through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism.
This is a complex and lengthy process that involves concluding an agreement directly with the U.S. government, which then procures the helicopters from the manufacturer. Bell also noted that it had been working on this initiative for some time.
Several months after signing the Letter of Intent, Bell stated it could deliver helicopters to Ukraine relatively quickly due to available production capacity and the ability to fulfill multiple contracts in parallel.
However, several key issues remain unresolved. These include the total number of helicopters Ukraine may order and, most importantly, the source of funding. The potential deal could exceed $1 billion. Additional steps include obtaining U.S. approval for the sale, which is not expected to face major obstacles, and ultimately signing a firm contract.
The next stages include production, assembly and localization in Ukraine, and personnel training. Based on the experience of the Czech Republic, training for operating the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom took about seven months. However, this timeline could likely be shortened if necessary.
In any case, this is a long-term project. Even if a firm agreement is signed in the near term, additional time will be required to deliver the helicopters to Ukraine's military.
As for capabilities, the AH-1Z Viper could prove more suitable than the AH-64E Apache for Ukraine in terms of operational simplicity, especially in challenging conditions, as well as overall availability and cost.
The AH-1Z Viper is armed with a 20 mm M197 cannon and features six hardpoints capable of carrying a wide range of weapons, including APKWS II guided rockets. In total, it can carry up to 38 guided rockets, making it an effective platform against drone threats such as Shahed-type systems. Its arsenal also includes AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and the newer AGM-179 JAGM.
As for the UH-1Y Venom, Ukraine has a clear need to modernize its transport helicopter fleet, and this platform is a strong candidate. It can carry up to eight troops, has a maximum takeoff weight of 8.4 tons, and is powered by two T700-GE-401C engines. Its maximum speed reaches 315 km/h, with a range of 600 km and a combat radius of 220 km.
Earlier, Defense Express also reported that UH-1Y Venom helicopters, which Ukraine is considering, may be deployed by the Czech Republic to Poland for counter-drone missions based on Ukrainian experience.
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