AviationNews – Collins Aerospace, a business unit of RTX, has secured a U.S. Army contract valued at up to $472 million to deliver engineering services for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet. This major agreement focuses on comprehensive avionics modernizations to ensure ongoing mission readiness and fleet sustainment in increasingly complex combat environments. Under the multi-year deal announced on August 11, 2026, Collins Aerospace will execute critical engineering work to address component obsolescence and refine the Chinook's core avionics architecture.

Bell Textron has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of the Navy with an estimated value of approximately $300 million. The agreement was signed in August 2026 at Bell’s manufacturing facility in Amarillo, Texas. The contract combines fixed-price, fixed-price incentive, and cost-reimbursement elements with fixed-fee provisions. The base contract, with options for extension […] Post Bell Awarded Major Contract to Modernize 49 U.S. Helicopters at Root-Nation.com.

Aviation News – The U.S. Army has conducted a major evaluation of the AH-64E Version 6 Apache, examining its enhanced ability to counter emerging unmanned aerial system (UAS) threats in modern combat environments. The test, carried out under Operation Flyswatter, assessed how the upgraded Apache performs when networked and data-linked against asymmetric drone targets. The event brought together Army aviation units, program officials, and industry partners to validate capabilities that were first selected for integration as part of the helicopter’s ongoing modernization pathway.