Bell Helicopter Weds US Helicopter, Inc.

In a move to continue the expansion of its helicopter service and support capabilities, Bell Helicopter this week announced that it has acquired the maintenance and overhaul assets of Ozark, Alabama-based US Helicopter, Inc., a privately-held company providing depot-level maintenance and upgrade installations for a variety of Bell products for the government market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"This acquisition is a natural fit with Bell's strategy to further advance our after-market service and support offerings -- particularly in critical growth areas such as military and homeland security," said Mike Redenbaugh, chief executive officer of Bell Helicopter. "We plan to use the well-established capabilities at US Helicopter to expand our service to our government customers and to support our proposed offerings for the US Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) programs."

US Helicopter will be integrated into Bell Helicopter's government support affiliate, Bell Aerospace Services, Inc., which provides logistics and maintenance services. "The US Helicopter workforce brings vast military helicopter servicing expertise, primarily in the areas of Huey maintenance and Huey II conversion services for the U.S. Department of State," said Mike Prieto, president of Bell Aerospace Services. "This move also brings us even closer to our customers as the plant is located adjacent to Fort Rucker - the center for Army Aviation."

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.textron.com