The Armed Forces will receive Bell AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters: why they are better than Mi-24 and Mi-8

Share: Ukraine and the American company Bell signed an agreement of intent to purchase AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom transport helicopters for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The document paves the way for the purchase of vehicles through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program. The American aerospace company Bell Textron is ready to supply its helicopters to the Ukrainian troops — the parties have signed a Memorandum on the prospects of industrial cooperation with Ukraine.

This is stated in the press release of the American company dated October 20. "We are proud to announce this agreement and the possible delivery of these incredible helicopters to Ukraine. This initiative has been in the works for some time and we look forward to its completion," said Bell Vice President Jeffrey Schlosser.

Commenting on the news, Defense Express observers noted that during the purchase of American weapons under the FMS line, the contract is concluded not directly with the manufacturer, but between governments. That is, Ukraine concludes an agreement with the USA, and Washington forms an order with Bell. AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom are modern versions of the legendary American helicopters AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Iroquois, deeply modernized taking into account the requirements of the 21st century.

The latter is especially known as a symbol of the war in Vietnam. The machines share 85% common parts, including the tail section, engines, rotor system, transmission, avionics architecture, software, controls and displays. Experts believe that this approach makes them an optimal replacement for the Soviet pair of Mi-24 and Mi-8, which are still in service with the Armed Forces. Today, both helicopters are actively used by the US Marine Corps and are also exported to allies.

For example, in 2019, the Czech Republic ordered 12 Bell helicopters — four attack AH-1Z Viper and eight transport UH-1Y Venom — for $622 million. Slovakia also planned to purchase 12 AH-1Z Vipers, having received the right to a discount after the transfer of weapons to Ukraine. The initial price of about $1 billion was reduced to $600 million, but Bratislava backed out of the deal at the end of 2024 in favor of Lockheed Martin's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.