Bell Helicopter Is to cut 500 jobs in a move that the Textron subsidiary claims was triggered by the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) decision to cancel the USD942 million ARH-70A Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter programme. The reduction accounts for approximately 4 per cent of the total workforce and includes a 20 per cent reduction in management-level staff. The cuts apply to the Fort Worth plant in Texas, where workers were told of the job losses on 29 October. "With the loss of the ARH-70A programme, we must make changes in our staffing and structure to reduce costs," said Richard Millman, president and chief executive of Textron subsidiary Bell Helicopter. The DoD announced on 17 October that it would not proceed with the ARH programme, arguing that the helicopter's cost and schedule had slipped too much to continue the effort.
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