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Bell delivers 29 helicopters in Q3 2026, with Bell 407 deliveries up 50 percent

Bell delivered 29 commercial helicopters in the third quarter of 2026. Bell 407 deliveries rose from 8 to 12, while the Bell 429 and 505 fell.

Ankit Kumar

Published 1 min read

Bell delivers 29 helicopters in Q3 2026, with Bell 407 deliveries up 50 percent
Bell 407 at Frederick Municipal Airport, Maryland. Photo: Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bell delivered 29 commercial helicopters in the third quarter of 2026, one fewer than the 30 it delivered a year earlier. The numbers come from Textron's quarterly results, reported by AIN on 30 October 2026.

The Bell 407 had a strong quarter

Bell delivered 12 Bell 407 helicopters, up from 8 in the third quarter of 2025. That is a rise of 50 percent. The Bell 505 came to 13 deliveries, down from 15. The Bell 429 fell from 6 to 3. Bell delivered one Bell 412, the same as last year.

For the first nine months of 2026, Bell delivered 85 commercial helicopters, against 91 in the same period of 2025. On the military side, it handed over two V-22 Ospreys in the quarter, matching last year. It has delivered five V-22s so far this year.

Revenue and the MV-75

Revenue in Textron's Rotorcraft segment was US$933 million, down 9 percent. Military revenue fell US$59 million, mainly because of lower volume on the MV-75 program. Commercial helicopter, parts and services revenue fell US$34 million. Segment profit was US$76 million. The backlog stood at US$7.6 billion at the end of the quarter.

Bell CEO Lisa Atherton said the MV-75 "remains a top priority for the U.S. military." The aircraft is also called the Cheyenne. Congress approved US$350 million of fiscal 2026 funding, and about US$300 million was committed during the quarter. Textron warned that the first low rate production award could slip if the current US government funding stopgap, which runs to 11 December, is not replaced in time.

Textron also raised its full year earnings outlook for 2026.

On The Flying Engineer

Bell is part of Textron. To compare helicopter operators, makers and service companies, see our helicopter companies. For dealers, brokers and sellers of new and used aircraft, see our aircraft sales companies.

Source: AIN, Bell 407 Deliveries Climb as Q3 Revenues Slip 9%

Ankit Kumar

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Ankit Kumar

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