The Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun the process of purchasing American Bell helicopters to replace Soviet-era Mi-24 and Mi-8 models. This includes the attack AH-1Z Viper and transport UH-1Y Venom.
This was reported by Slovo i Dilo, citing Defense Express.
The deal involves “assessing approaches to industrial cooperation” and coordinating with the U.S. government to organize sales through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program. Ukrainian officials emphasize that when purchasing weapons through the U.S., the agreement is made between the two governments, while the U.S. government places the order with the American company Bell.
Bell representatives highlight their interest in selling their aircraft to Ukraine: “This initiative has been in development for some time, and we look forward to its completion.”
Both helicopters—the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom—are the latest upgrades of the legendary AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Iroquois. They share about 85% of parts, which significantly simplifies maintenance and provides an effective replacement for the Mi-24 and Mi-8 in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Currently, the helicopters are in service with the U.S. Marine Corps and are available for export. Recent buyers include the Czech Republic, which in 2019 ordered 12 helicopters (4 AH-1Z and 8 UH-1Y) for $622 million. Slovakia initially planned to purchase the AH-1Z Viper at a discount but canceled the deal at the end of 2024, opting for UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopters from Lockheed Martin instead.
Thus, the purchase of Bell helicopters for Ukraine has officially begun, marking a new stage in the modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ aviation and enhancing the country’s defense capabilities.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that at the end of March, the United Kingdom retired its Puma HC.Mk 2 transport helicopters, which had been in service for over 50 years. Some of these helicopters could be transferred to Ukraine.
At the end of last year, Poland donated two Mi-8 helicopters and one Bell 412HP helicopter to Ukraine.
