AgustaWestland and Bell are discussing a rearrangement of workshare for the BA609 tilt-rotor that is likely to give the Italian company an equal role in the program, further cementing ties with the Textron affiliate and giving it a firmer foothold in the U.S. Currently, AgustaWestland―jointly owned by Finmeccanica and Britain's GKN―has a 25% stake in the BA609 civil tiltrotor, being developed through a joint venture, Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co. (BAAC). However, with Bell burdened by problems with the Bell Boeing V-22 military tiltrotor that threaten to impact the BA609 development schedule, the partners are looking to augment the Italian role, said AgustaWestland CEO Amadeo Ca-poraletti.
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