After the meeting of the delegations led by Defence Ministers Lubomír Metnar and Mark Esper in Pentagon last year, the company Bell gained the upper hand.  The main topic of negotiations in the US was the acquisition of 12 US H-1 helicopters for the Army of the Czech Republic. This is signed and we can expect deliveries in 2023, but the Bell shows us other possibilities in the future. Model 360 Invictus.

Picture: Bell 360 Invictus | Bell

The model of the latest reconnaissance combat helicopter Bell 360 Invictus has been introduced by the Bell company in recent months. The helicopter made of composite materials will use a fly-by-wire control system. Apart from the rotor, it will also have a wing that allows to achieve high speed. Thanks to relatively compact dimensions it might be deployed effectively on the urban battlefields. Therefore, the helicopter will represent the future for future battles. In addition, the machine will use the stealth technology.

Displaying an emblem (so-called fin flashe) on the vertical tail surface of the displayed model of the helicopter Bell 360 (see picture above) is also interesting. It has striking similarities to the inverted Czech flag.

Picture: Thanks to relatively compact dimensions it might be deployed on urban battlefields | Bell

It is logical that Bell, with its supply for the Army of the Czech Republic, is not going to just leave our market in the following years. On the contrary, another purchase of machines of the same brand can be logically expected along with the future domestic modern service facilities (probably LOM PRAHA s.p.).

Picture: Simulation of the UH-1Y Venom (at the forefront) and AH-1Z Viper helicopters in the Czech camouflage | Bell

The Helicopter Air Force of the Army of the Czech Republic will be modernized in the following years and it has not come to an end by ordering the number of twelve pieces. Some sources state that the ordered number of the H-1 system will double. Such a number would make more sense and would show that the ambition to modernize the Czech Army is real. The financial side is, of course, the question that remains. There is no money left. Our military needs modernization and other military equipment and spending of 2% of GDP on defence is not realistic in the next 5 years.