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July 11 (UPI) -- Bell Helicopter Textron has been awarded a $22 million modification to a contract for continued contractor logistics support of Iraq's Bell 407GX fleet and other helicopters. The modification, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, will add the 407GX and associated spare parts to the existing contract for helicopter repair and maintenance while extending the program for another year.
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The work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by August 2017. Fiscal 2017 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $22 million have been obligated upon award.
The Bell 307GX is a light utility helicopter designed for transporting passengers, small amounts of cargo, and medical evacutation missions. It can carry a payload of 6 passengers or over 2,500 pounds of cargo and mounts engines adapted for hot or high-altitude climates.
The Iraqi air force already uses the older Bell 206 and variants of the Bell UG-1 "Huey" series of helicopters as part of its fleet.
Iraq has been struggling to build its own independent air force despite major U.S. assistance and is still highly reliant on U.S. air support during ongoing operations against the Islamic State.
