From the battlefields of Ukraine to the skies over Iran, pilotless aircraft have become a must-have ingredient in how modern wars are fought. Now the U.S. Marine Corps has ordered up a new one for its own battles: an autonomous helicopter that can swoop cargo into a war zone without putting a single crew person at risk. And Fort Worth-based Bell Textron has been tapped to help deliver it.

Bell has been selected by Pittsburgh’s Near Earth Autonomy to partner on prototyping an autonomous Bell 505 helicopter for the Marines’ Resupply Vehicle-Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) Increment 2 program.

The mission: Prototype an uncrewed logistics aircraft capable of “tactical-edge resupply” in enemy-contested environments. The helicopter will serve as a middle-weight uncrewed logistics asset, Bell said.

Transforming ‘how warfighters navigate on the battlefield’

Jason Hurst, EVP of engineering at Bell, said the platform “will be a step forward in transforming the U.S. Marine Corps’ autonomous operations and how our warfighters navigate on the battlefield.”

“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,” Hurst added in a statement.

The awarded contract calls for an autonomous aerial logistics capability exceeding MARV-EL performance threshold requirements and accommodating a wide range of payloads and standard containers. Bell said it will provide engineering support to the Near Earth team on modifications to the Bell 505 helicopter for autonomy integration and enhanced cargo handling.

Hurst added that his company “looks forward to continuing to build upon our relationship and prior autonomy development with Near Earth in support of the MARV-EL program.”

Building on Bell’s ALFA program

Bell has been working toward autonomous helicopters for years. In 2024, the company revealed its Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy (ALFA). Developed by Bell’s Advanced Programs team, ALFA is dedicated to performing flight maneuvers with an aircraft safety system and executing autonomous fly-by-wire flights, Bell said.

Bell’s work on the MARV-EL program is far from its biggest contract for the U.S. military. The company is building a $632 million factory in North Fort Worth to manufacture parts for the U.S. Army’s new Bell MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, which is replacing the Army’s famed Black Hawk helicopter. That project, which was initially awarded in late 2022, could potentially be worth around $70 billion across the life of the MV-75 fleet.

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