Ukraine has signed a letter of intent with rotorcraft manufacturer Bell exploring the purchase of combat helicopters.

Kyiv’s economy minister was in Washington, DC on 20 October to meet with delegates from Bell and sign an industrial cooperation agreement covering the AH-1Z attack and UH-1Y platforms.

Although not definitive, the agreement sets the stage for a potential acquisition through the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales programme.

“We are proud to announce this agreement, and the potential to supply these incredible aircraft to Ukraine,” says Jeffrey Schloesser, senior vice-president of strategic pursuits at Bell.

Schloesser adds that the initiative has been in development for “some time”.

If approved by the US government, a sale to Ukraine would mark the country’s first fielding of Western-sourced combat helicopters. The Ukrainian army and air force both operate Soviet-origin rotorcraft, including the Mil Mi-8 and Mi-24.

“We are confident that H-1s can play a pivotal role in further building defence capabilities in Ukraine, providing a much-needed upgrade,” Schloesser says.

The AH-1Z and UH-1Y share 85% parts commonality, according to Bell.

The Ukraine agreement comes as the US manufacturer has been preparing to possibly end production of the iconic pair, following completion of a 12-aircraft order from Nigeria for attack helicopters.

Bell’s primary H-1 customer, the US Marine Corps (USMC), took delivery of its final new aircraft in 2022. Receipt of the service’s 189th AH-1Z, alongside a total 160 UH-1Ys, marked the conclusion of the USMC H-1 programme of record.

The winding down of H-1 production means Ukraine could receive new aircraft much faster than alternatives like the Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk, which has a significant backlog.

Although conventional rotorcraft have proven to be extremely vulnerable in the drone-saturated battlefields of Ukraine, Kyiv has been seeking ways to expand its conventional airpower to supplement robust drone production capacity.

The Ukrainian air force also flies an undisclosed number of secondhand Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters donated by European backers.

It is unclear how Kyiv might safely employ crewed helicopters in the drone-dominated battlefields contested by Russian forces.

The Russian army’s elite VDV airborne forces suffered heavy losses and a strategically significant defeat in the opening days of Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion while attempting to seize the Hostomel cargo airport north of Kyiv via helicopter-borne air assault.

Manned rotorcraft are now viewed as so vulnerable that the US Army, after the Russia-Ukraine war started, significantly altered its long-term aviation strategy, ending development of a new armed scout helicopter.

The service cited observations from Ukraine, along with advances in emerging uncrewed and space-based technologies, in making the decision.