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UK awards £1bn New Medium Helicopter contract to Leonardo for 23 AW149s

The UK has awarded Leonardo a £1 billion contract for 23 AW149 helicopters under the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme, with airframes to be built at Leonardo’s Yeovil facility. The deal secures roughly 3,300 jobs and confirms the AW149 as the MoD’s NMH selection.

Discovered 2026-03-01T05:34:42.656693-08:00 | 2026-03-01T05:34:42.656693-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The award is a ~£1bn, 23-aircraft procurement that secures roughly 3,300 jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil plant, directly sustaining UK rotorcraft production and regional employment (see unions warning on factory risk) (source:300a9658-e0a9-412f-8f52-31b51c348de3).

  • The decision resolves a politically sensitive procurement that previously split the Cabinet and reduced near-term uncertainty for the MoD’s helicopter capability plans (source:031f0a2e-1e51-4064-aade-8fc24a3b04c5).

  • The contract underpins Leonardo’s UK industrial footprint at a time the group is restructuring and seeking industrial partnerships; it supports supply-chain continuity relevant to ongoing aerostructures JV and corporate turnaround efforts (source:29807589-da61-44a5-962b-8317aef81b73) (source:48af196b-9fd7-496f-b769-7d96f391c6f5).

Reported By

overtdefense.com news.defcros.com Aviation24 forcaaerea.com.br Janes worldairnews.co.za
Sources Tracked
54
First Seen
2026-03-01T05:34:42.656693-08:00
Latest Update
2026-03-06T10:06:32.417963-08:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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