Bell Textron has secured an estimated $300 million Navy contract to push its SPINE modernization into Phase 3.0 for up to 49 Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters. The base-plus-three-option-years award covers 21 UH-1Y and 28 AH-1Z aircraft, with work set for the Bell Amarillo Assembly Center from mid-2027 and first upgraded deliveries due in 2028. SPINE, formerly SIEPU, lifts electrical power margin and opens the H-1 architecture to next-generation sensors, weapons, and data links. Bell says the first upgraded UH-1Y and AH-1Z were completed in fall 2025 and moved to NAS Patuxent River for flight test, giving the program a production and integration baseline.