Leonardo hails talent in helicopter contract bid
LEONARDO Helicopters is pushing forward with a campaign to secure a bumper multi-million pound contract to build new aircraft for the UK Ministry of Defence.
The firm, which employs more than 3,000 people in Yeovil, is hoping to manufacture new AW149 helicopters for the Government.
It would build the new fleet on a production line in Yeovil, with between 60 and 70% of the process being carried out in the UK.
The UK Government is looking to buy a fleet of new medium-sized helicopters, and the Somerset company believes choosing Leonardo would “represent an investment in UK skills, design and manufacturing, supporting thousands of jobs, creating jobs across the country and helping reverse the damage to the economy caused by Covid-19”.
The AW149 aircraft comes with a price tag of £18-£20 million per helicopter, and, according to Leonardo, is “a safe, agile and robust platform, which can be reconfigured for a wide range of demanding missions in the most severe operational environments”.
By choosing the AW149, Leonardo also believes the Government could help unlock more orders from across the world as “the world-renowned UK Armed Forces would become a reference customer for the product, making the AW149 a desirable choice for global allies”.
To aid its campaign to win the contract, Leonardo has recently revealed its onshore supply chain for the AW149 helicopter, featuring more than 70 companies from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Nick Whitney, managing director at Leonardo Helicopters (UK), said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce Team AW149 UK and highlight some of the leading small and medium-sized British companies who will be involved in delivering the AW149 for the UK Armed Forces should we be selected.
“The companies we’re spotlighting today are diverse in what they do and where they’re located but they and we at Leonardo have one important thing in common, which is a commitment to providing the UK Armed Forces with the most modern, capable and costeffective medium helicopter to meet their operational needs.”
The companies recently revealed as Team AW149 UK members include Abaco Systems, Aerco, Chelton, Ford Aerospace, Forged Solutions, Incora, LFD, RDDS Avionics and Techtest Limited.
Speaking previously about the potential deal, Mr Whitney said: “Every £1 spent on a Leonardo helicopter product in the UK leads to £2.40 flowing back in the economy, through our employees, through the supply base we activate.
“Levelling up is not just about the North, it is places like Yeovil too.”
He added: “The helicopter sector in the UK is at a crossroads. Currently, we have the capability to do everything here. If we get this order it will sustain that. We need to build and maintain capability in the UK, we can’t just buy it in. We are the only company that can make helicopters in the UK all the way from start to finish, from design to delivery.”
Meanwhile, construction on a huge new “high-tech” logistics centre in Yeovil for Leonardo will also begin this year. The £30 million facility, spanning nearly 20,000m2, the equivalent of 2.7 football pitches, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.