Bell eyes expansion amid calls for review
WASHINGTON — Fort Worth-based Bell is laying the foundation for new facilities in Grand Prairie after its new tiltrotor V-280 Valor won a competition for the U.S. Army’s next long-range assault aircraft.
Those preparations come despite an ongoing review of the selection process by a key congressional watchdog agency and calls by some on Capitol Hill to further scrutinize the rationale behind Bell’s selection.
At stake is the Future LongRange Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA, program that the Army initiated in 2019 as a successor to its iconic UH-60 Black Hawk. The Army announced in December it was awarding the initial contract to Bell for its V-280 Valor.
Bell registered plans with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation earlier this month to build a new $20 million, 37,775-square-foot building in Grand Prairie. The project name is “FLRAA DSTL” — the second part stands for Drive Systems Test Lab.
Bell officials declined to provide further details on the prospective facility as the company awaits review of the selection process by the Government Accountability Office.
Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, triggered that review when it filed a challenge in late December. The GAO has 100 days to review the challenge, which means it should issue its decision by April 7.
The short-term value of the contract is up to $1.3 billion, but the Army has indicated the total value could reach well into the tens of billions over the life of the program.
Bell has touted the capabilities of its V-280 Valor prototype that features a tilt-rotor design combining the vertical takeoff and hovering ability of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane.
That approach beat out a Sikorsky and Boeing team that offered the Army a compound rotor aircraft called the Defiant X.
The Army says it followed a “deliberate and disciplined process in evaluating proposals to ensure rigorous review and equitable treatment of both competitors.”