HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army reports its Project Office for Armed Scout Helicopters has completed deliveries of 407 Bell Helicopters to Iraq.
The final delivery consisted of three aircraft, bringing the number of armed 407s handed over to Iraq by the Army's Redstone Arsenal to 24.
"First, our Army is providing an armed scout capability to our allies in the country of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Chris Mills, product manager for the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program. "Second, we're meeting the obligations of a foreign military sales case. And finally, this delivery showcases the capabilities of the Redstone Arsenal enterprise.
"This is an important milestone in this program. The PM is the lead systems integrator but almost all the major activities on the arsenal were involved in the success here."
The first production IA-407 was delivered last August, the Army said.
Three prototype aircraft will remain at the arsenal in accordance with the Iraqis' wishes for the aircraft's future development and testing but they could be transformed to production configuration if needed.
