Update: UK selects AW149 for NMH

The AW149, seen here in Polish service, has been selected for the UK under the NMH programme. (Polish Ministry of National Defence)

The United Kingdom has selected the Leonardo AW149 to fulfil its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement to replace the retired Airbus SA 330E Puma HC2, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on 2 March.

The MoD announcement of the GBP1 billion (USD1.33 billion) deal came three days after the Unite labour union first formally disclosed the selection on 27 February. The procurement will see 23 of the helicopters built for the UK armed forces at Leonardo's Yeovil production site in southern England. This number equates to a 1:1 replacement of the Airbus Puma HC2 at the time of its retirement in March 2025.

“The new deal secured by the government with Leonardo will provide the UK armed forces with 23 new medium-lift helicopters – which could work alongside uncrewed aircraft – and paves the path for future military international orders to be built in the UK, with an increased work share for the UK above 40%. There are around 20 countries with requirements for new medium-lift helicopters. Together with Leonardo's other helicopters, international orders for NMH could generate over GBP15 billion in exports over the next 10 years,” the MoD said.

With this order, the government intends to secure the future of Leonardo's Yeovil production site. The last manufacturer of military helicopters in the UK received its last MoD newbuild production contract for the AW159 Wildcat in 2006, and senior Leonardo leadership and the Unite union had warned that the long-term future of the facility might not be tenable without NMH, as international Wildcat and AW101 Merlin orders are completed.

NMH requirement

News of the selection came five years after Janes