On Friday, April 17, 2026, U.S. company Bell Textron, part of Textron Corporation, announced the establishment of a subsidiary in Ukraine and plans to open a dedicated office as part of its long-term approach to industrial cooperation in the country.
Photo: Bell Textron
The new subsidiary, named Bell Textron Ukraine, will serve as the hub for Bell Textron’s activities in Ukraine, although the permanent office location has not yet been confirmed. It will support Bell Textron’s planned and future activities in Ukraine, focusing on helicopter assembly, operational support, and repair.
It is worth adding that TОВ “Белл Текстрон Україна” (EDRPOU code 45935286) already appears in Ukraine’s business register. Its director is Anthony Philip Phickes, and its share capital amounts to 2,158,795 UAH.
The decision follows the signing of Letters of Intent (LoIs) on October 20, 2025, with a Ukrainian government delegation composed of representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture and UkraineInvest, aimed at exploring areas of cooperation.
“This is a meaningful step toward building a practical, mutually beneficial cooperation with the Ukraine defense and industrial base,” said Jeffrey Schloesser, senior vice president of Strategic Pursuits, Bell. “Bell is committed to establishing a presence in Ukraine to promote collaboration and long-term growth.”
Bell Textron is a global supplier of commercial and military helicopters. Military helicopters from the H-1 system family, including the Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter and the Bell UH-1Y Venom multirole helicopter, were designed to work seamlessly together, offering a high degree of parts commonality (85%) and operational flexibility. The company sees significant potential for these helicopters in supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities while creating the foundation for a lasting industrial partnership.
The U.S. Marine Corps, the main user of H-1 system helicopters, decided to reduce their numbers under the Force Design 2030 restructuring by 27 AH-1Zs and 26 UH-1Ys, a total of 53 rotorcraft. It currently has 162 AH-1Zs out of 189 delivered and 134 UH-1Ys out of 160 delivered, from an original order of 349.
AH-1Zs alone have been delivered to Bahrain (12 aircraft), Nigeria will be the next user (12 aircraft), and the Czech Republic is introducing a mixed fleet of 10 AH-1Zs and 10 UH-1Ys. Pakistan withdrew from the purchase after an embargo was imposed (12 AH-1Zs out of 15 planned), as did Slovakia (12 AH-1Zs).
Interestingly, since 2022 Ukraine had expressed interest in taking over the undelivered Pakistani helicopters, but without success. In 2024, it expressed interest in taking over the canceled Slovak order. At the same time, Kyiv was interested in 22 EC665 Tiger ARH attack-reconnaissance helicopters planned for retirement in Australia. In December 2025, reports emerged that Canberra was considering such a move.
Earlier, before the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale war, on February 26, 2021, the then president of UkrOboronProm, now Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC, Yuriy Husyev, announced plans to launch licensed production of UH-1 Iroquois multirole helicopters at the Odesaviaremservice aircraft repair facility in Odesa, with the first components to be produced in summer 2021 to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Bell, however, quickly denied those plans, emphasizing that there had been no prior negotiations or interest from the Ukrainian armed forces.
Bell announced its formation of a subsidiary in Ukraine and plans to open a dedicated office as part of its long-term approach to industrial cooperation in the country. It will support Bell’s planned and future activities in Ukraine focused on helicopter assembly, maintenance,…
— Bell (@BellFlight) April 17, 2026
See also: