Marines Receive Last Viper Helicopter

Bell Helicopter has announced the delivery of the final AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps.

On Nov. 2, the company delivered the 189th Viper to the service at its facility in Amarillo, Texas, completing the program of record for the type.

Bell completed the program of record for the UH-1Y Venom, which is 85 percent common with the Viper, in 2018, delivering the 160th aircraft.

The Marine Corps ordered a total of 349 AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters.

The two helicopter types are key to the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, said Col. Vasilios Pappas, the Marine program manager. The completion of the program of record provides the service with more flexibility to manage and deploy the aircraft, he said, as quoted by AIN Online.