Bell Selected by Near Earth Autonomy to Provide Bell 505 Airframe for U.S. Marine Corps’ MARV-EL Program
Bell to work with Near Earth Autonomy to develop an uncrewed aerial logistics aircraft with the Bell 505 platform to support the U.S. Marine Corps’ autonomous aerial operations
FORT WORTH, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced that it was selected by Near Earth Autonomy (Near Earth) as a partner on the prototyping of an autonomous Bell 505 for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) Increment 2 program. The goal of the program is to prototype an uncrewed logistics aircraft ready for tactical-edge resupply in contested environments and serve as a middle-weight uncrewed logistics asset.
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“This platform will be a step forward in transforming the U.S. Marine Corps’ autonomous operations and how our warfighters navigate on the battlefield,” said Jason Hurst, Bell SVP, Engineering. “We’re leveraging our decades of experience with the U.S. Armed Forces and innovative product development applying it to the versatile Bell 505 for this program.”
The awarded contract will deliver an autonomous aerial logistics capability that exceeds MARV-EL performance threshold requirements and accommodates a wide range of payloads and standard containers. Bell will provide engineering support to the Near Earth team on modifications to the Bell 505 for autonomy integration and enhanced cargo handling.
“Bell looks forward to continuing to build upon our relationship and prior autonomy development with Near Earth in support of the MARV-EL program,” added Hurst.
In 2024, Bell revealed its Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy (ALFA) platform – a step forward in its autonomous flight efforts. Bell and Near Earth collaborated to integrate an advanced perception system for flight demonstrations on the ALFA aircraft, working towards fully autonomous flight capability.
To find out more about Bell’s Engineering efforts, please visit the Bell page.
NAVAIR Public Release SPR-2026-0294. Distribution Statement A – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
About Bell
Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 90 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.
We’re an aerospace and defense company that engineers and manufactures aircraft for critical solutions in extreme scenarios. We’re breaking barriers in lifting people to safety across transportation, medical, rescue and military services, and leading the industry in future solutions that are fast, reliable and efficient.
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours. Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancelations or deferrals of orders.
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Gianna Messina
Commercial Business | Europe, Middle East, Africa
[email protected]
682-219-3532
KEYWORDS: Texas United States North America
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Other Defense Contracts Air Transport Other Technology Military Aerospace Manufacturing Defense
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