Bell Textron has cut 285 jobs across Fort Worth, Amarillo and Wichita as the MV-75 Cheyenne II moves from development into production.
The reductions hit about 3% of Bell’s workforce and span nonunion roles in Fort Worth, about 30 positions in Amarillo, and additional staff in Wichita. Bell is also tightening staffing around funding flow and production pacing, a move that shows the program is leaving the engineering-heavy phase and entering industrial execution. The company has paired the cuts with a short furlough for some employees starting 15 June.
For the sector, the message is straightforward: Bell is protecting program continuity while resetting its cost base ahead of rate build-up. The next watchpoint is whether production hiring offsets the cuts as the MV-75 line matures.