Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today it has approved a new tension torsion (TT) strap for the Bell 206 series of helicopters.

Bell Helicopter, in collaboration with its long term supplier partner LORD Corporation, has developed a new TT strap with a calendar life of 36 months with anticipated calendar life extension following a Lead the Fleet program.  This is an improvement over the current 24 months calendar life.  The new TT strap utilizes an innovative material which is highly resistant to corrosion, and has been developed to meet Bell’s uncompromising requirements for safety.

As part of Bell Helicopter’s overall commitment to making Bell aircraft more cost effective, the price of the new TT strap will remain the same as the current strap with anticipated delivery no later than the fourth quarter 2012.  The special warranty credit for the mandatory calendar removal will be eliminated as a result.

“This is another example of Bell Helicopter Customer Support and Services on a mission – listening to our customers and delivering a solution,” said Danny Maldonado, senior vice president and Chief Services Officer for Bell Helicopter. “This calendar life extension will reduce the inconvenience and down time associated with a TT strap change and further reduce our operators direct maintenance costs.”

“As a valued partner with Bell for more than 60 years, LORD is proud to help introduce unique and innovative solutions that increase end-user value and helicopter reliability,” said Lane Miller, vice president, Global Technology for LORD Corporation.

Bell Helicopter is home to an industry-leading customer support network made up of more than 100 customer service facilities in 34 countries, six strategically located supply centers and nearly 100 customer support representatives and dedicated product support engineers all focused on executing on customer requirements, increasing global responsiveness and lowering direct operating costs.