Bell Helicopter said Wednesday it plans to open a 66,000 square foot parts repair facility within its customer support center near Fort Worth Alliance Airport.

Fort Worth-based Bell will repair parts and pieces of helicopters, such as worn blades, inside the new space. The Textron Inc. subsidiary already houses $4 million in spare parts for fulfilling orders from its commercial and government clients, in the same building, called Gateway 55, in the Roanoke portion of Alliance development.

Company spokesman Mike Cox said a sharp increase in customer demand for parts warranted a center dedicated solely dedicated to repairing parts.

"The expansion will make the process of repairing parts more efficient and shorten the turn-around time," he said. Cox said he did not know the specific number of employees Bell would add as a result of the expansion.

In a speech he delivered to Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday, Cox said the global war on terrorism, national focus on homeland security, offshore utility aircraft needs and recent natural disasters have caused a spike in demand for vertical lift aircraft.

Cox said Bell's expansion at Alliance is part of a resulting $100 million company-wide capital improvement program to support the resulting controlled expansion of Bell Helicopter, allowing the company to improve its existing structures, replace equipment and make other needed upgrades.

The company intends to ask its parent, Textron, for a $180 million budget for continued expansion next year, Cox said.

Bell's customer support center is one of two facilities the company operates at Alliance Airport. Its 177,000 square foot customer center and training facility off Alliance's Heritage Parkway includes an office space for visiting customers, showrooms for helicopter interior design selection and configuration discussions, 18 training classrooms and hanger and warehouse space.