Rotorcraft
Bell Finds Additional Opportunities with Wichita Office
Bell opened the Wichita site in August 2020 to support its efforts to win contracts on two substantial future vertical lift programs for the U.S. Army.
Bell's Wichita office has been adding staff "by the dozens" since opening last August. (Photo: Bell)
Bell's Wichita office has been adding staff "by the dozens" since opening last August. (Photo: Bell)

Eight months into Bell establishing an office on the west campus of sister company Textron Aviation, Bell Wichita general manager David Smith told AIN the site is growing both in terms of people and the types of work performed there. Established in part to support Bell’s efforts as a finalist on the Army’s future long-range assault aircraft (FLRAA) and future attack and reconnaissance aircraft (FARA) programs—with its V-280 Valor tiltrotor and Invictus 360 helicopter—Smith said other areas have been identified in which the office can support the Fort Worth, Texas-based OEM. “We have all these needs on military programs but there’s also staffing going on in other disciplines and the office is finding a home for all sorts of functions that we hadn’t really anticipated,” he explained.