# Army Risks MV-75 Production Delay

A continuing resolution could push back the Army’s first low-rate initial production (LRIP) award for the MV-75 Cheyenne II, increasing Bell Textron’s expected program-related financial impact to **$110 million–$150 million**. The Army has approval to reprogram **$350 million** for the program, with about $300 million committed through contract modifications to support construction and testing of eight prototype aircraft. Proposed FY27 funding of approximately $2.3 billion still requires congressional approval.

- The LRIP award’s timing may slip under the CR, creating schedule and cost uncertainty for the Army and Bell Textron. Procurement and industry teams should account for that risk in production planning and related commitments.
- The reprogrammed funds and contract modifications support prototype construction and testing, while the proposed FY27 funding remains contingent on congressional approval. Contractors should distinguish committed program funding from proposed future funding when planning resources and cash flow.
- Textron previously expected the LRIP award in Q4 into Q1 of the following year; the signal does not specify the year, so the timing should be treated as uncertain rather than as a firm revised schedule.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 29, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army (Army)

### Vendors
- Bell Textron (prime contractor)
- Textron (parent company of the prime contractor)

### Key Quotes
> The $350 [million] was the request of the estimate of what the government expected that we would need throughout the third quarter.
> — Lisa Atherton, Chief Executive Officer of Textron

> With the start of the fiscal year in a [continuing resolution], we’d expect a possible push in the timing of the LRIP award.
> — David Rosenberg, Chief Financial Officer of Textron

### Sources
- [Army’s MV-75 production award could slip due to CR, raising program costs: Textron - Breaking Defense](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/10/armys-mv-75-production-award-could-slip-due-to-cr-raising-program-costs-textron) - Breaking Defense