Secretary of U.S. Air Force visits Bell Helicopter headquarters

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, hosted the Secretary of the Air Force, the Honorable Deborah Lee James  at the company’s global headquarters during her visit to Fort Worth.

"Our partnerships with industry are as critical today as they've ever been," said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. "Getting to see firsthand the capabilities and advancements being developed by Bell Helicopter to address future national security needs was fantastic.

“We were delighted to host the Secretary today and honored to have the opportunity to show her in person the work Bell Helicopter is performing every day on current and future tiltrotor platforms,” said Bell Helicopter President and CEO John Garrison. “The V-22 continues to redefine what is possible in military operations, and we are grateful to the Secretary for making time in her schedule to see firsthand where this transformative technology takes shape at our Fort Worth campus.”

Secretary James was given a company overview by Bell Helicopter leadership, followed by an update on the V-22 program and the company’s entrant into Future Vertical Lift with the V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The Secretary was able to experience a V-280 tiltrotor avionics simulator as well as a tour through the Bell Helicopter advanced composite center.