Bell cuts 285 jobs as MV-75 Cheyenne II program shifts toward production
Bell Textron is cutting 285 jobs across facilities in Texas and Kansas as the company adjusts staffing tied to its MV-75 Cheyenne II tiltrotor program.
The company confirmed layoffs affecting employees at facilities in Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas, and Wichita, Kansas. Bell is also planning a three-week furlough for some employees beginning June 15.
Bell described the changes as a “staffing realignment” as work on the Army’s next-generation assault aircraft moves through development and toward production.
“Staffing decisions like this are difficult, but they are also necessary to align the company to market realities and position it for the long term,” Bell said in a statement reported by local media.
The company did not disclose how many employees are assigned to the MV-75 program or how many of the 285 layoffs are directly tied to it.
The cuts represent about 3.5% of Bell’s global workforce of roughly 8,000 employees.
The MV-75 Cheyenne II is the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft and is based on Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The Army selected Bell for the program in 2022 and formally named the aircraft Cheyenne II in April 2026.
The aircraft is designed to replace part of the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk fleet and give the service greater speed, range and reach for long-range air assault missions.
The Army has said the MV-75 will fly about twice as far and twice as fast as the current rotary-wing fleet. The aircraft combines vertical takeoff and landing with the range and cruise speed of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Bell is building the aircraft as a centerpiece of the Army’s future vertical lift modernization effort. The company has said the MV-75 will use a modular open systems approach and a digital backbone intended to support future upgrades.
The layoffs come weeks after Bell opened its Wichita assembly center for the MV-75 fuselage. The company is preparing for the next phases of the program as the aircraft moves closer to flight testing and eventual production.
The MV-75 is expected to enter low-rate initial production later this decade, with the Army planning to field the aircraft in the 2030s.The post Bell cuts 285 jobs as MV-75 Cheyenne II program shifts toward production appeared first on AeroTime.
Bell Textron is cutting 285 jobs across facilities in Texas and Kansas as the company adjusts staffing tied…
The post Bell cuts 285 jobs as MV-75 Cheyenne II program shifts toward production appeared first on AeroTime.
