Update: Leonardo calls for NMH progress ‘without delay' after Lockheed and Airbus drop out

Contender specifications for the UK's New Medium Helicopter tender, after Lockheed Martin and Airbus dropped out on 30 August 2024. (Janes)

The managing director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, Adam Clarke, has told Janes that the acquisition of the UK's New Medium Helicopter (NMH) can now be accelerated, after both Airbus Helicopters and Lockheed Martin dropped out of the competition, leaving Leonardo, with its AW149, as the only remaining bidder.

Airbus Helicopters UK with its H175M and Lockheed Martin UK with its S-70M Black Hawk did not engage with the competition's Invitation to Negotiate (ITN), both pulling out before the deadline of midnight on 30 August.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Janes that the competition is ongoing and that it is “reviewing a proposal from industry”.

“The acquisition can now be accelerated, saving time/costs and delivering this urgently required capability into the hands of our armed forces as quickly as possible,” Clarke told Janes, adding that, “the New Medium Helicopter programme should move forward without delay.”

The stated requirement from the MoD was for “up to 44” new rotorcraft for GBP1.2 billion (USD1.5 billion), including five years of initial support, with a contract expected in 2025.

However, on 1 May the number of airframes, and the viability of the wider programme itself, came into question with senior industry executives telling lawmakers that the actual requirement could be for as few as 23–30 helicopters.