ABU DHABI, UAE (February 21, 2011) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced the first delivery of a Bell 429 helicopter to a customer in the Middle East. The announcement took place at IDEX, the largest defense and security event in the region.

The customer, Strong Aviation, is headquartered in Kuwait City and will utilize the helicopter for VIP missions in the area. The Bell 429 was chosen for its impressive performance capabilities, especially in the extreme climate of the Middle East.

“The Bell 429’s outstanding hot-and-high performance along with its expansive cabin, were key features for us,” said Capt. Salem Safar, Aviation Manager,Strong Aviation. “The 429 is quite simply the newest generation of helicopters. It is so advanced it does the pilot’s work for him. And when it came to customer care, Bell Helicopter surpassed our expectations.”

The Bell 429 is the world’s newest light twin-engine helicopter and has been designed, built and certified to the most stringent airworthiness standards. It is the only helicopter that was designed using the Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) process and whose maintenance program is approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada.

For several weeks at the end of last year, the Bell 429 engaged in a very successful demonstration tour of the Middle East and Africa. The tour gave prospective customers in the region the opportunity to experience the aircraft first hand and generated high interest throughout.

“The Bell 429 has become an international success,” said Larry D. Roberts, Senior Vice President, Bell Helicopter. “Customers in the Middle East who are looking for the ultimate VIP transportation will find the 429 offers the best combination of an expansive, luxurious cabin and the speed, range and flexible performance to achieve all their missions. These attributes also makes the 429 ideal for EMS missions.”

In addition to the Middle East, the Bell 429 has already found customers in China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, India, New Zealand and Argentina. Interest in the aircraft has come from private companies, including corporate transportation and utility missions, as well as civil and military government agencies.