Bell Textron has laid off approximately 285 employees across facilities in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Texas, and Wichita, Kansas, as the company adjusts staffing levels and transitions from development into production on key military programs.
According to a Star-Telegram report, The reductions, confirmed through company statements and a letter from Bell CEO Danny Maldonado, affect workers primarily tied to the MV-75 next-generation tiltrotor program.
In addition to the layoffs, Bell is also implementing a temporary furlough affecting select employees beginning June 15, part of what the company describes as a broader effort to align resources with near-term program funding and production pacing.
In a statement, the company said, “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.”
According to Maldonado’s letter, the adjustments reflect changes in funding visibility tied to government budget cycles and the transition between development milestones. He noted that as the company shifts from design work into production readiness, additional cost structure changes have become necessary to maintain program stability.
The MV-75 program, which is central to Bell’s current defense portfolio, is part of a long-term effort to deliver a next-generation vertical lift aircraft for military use. The aircraft is intended to replace legacy platforms and is currently in an advanced development phase with production ramp-up expected in the coming years.
Bell emphasized that the layoffs and furloughs are not performance-related and are instead tied to program timing and funding flow. Company officials said the changes are intended to preserve long-term execution capability as production scales up in later phases of the program.
Bell Textron, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., employs roughly 8,000 people worldwide and remains one of the major suppliers of rotary-wing aircraft to U.S. and allied defense customers. The company did not provide additional breakdowns of the layoffs by department or site.
