Leonardo has begun establishing its production line for the AW149 helicopter in Yeovil, the company writes in a press release. As a multi-million pound investment this is to make Leonardo’s bid for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement more competitive by ensuring the company is ready to deliver the AW149 into service by 2025, if selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The MoD’s stated goal is to have the NMH in service by 2025. The NMH competition is proceeding at pace, with Leonardo submitting its response to the UK MOD Defence Equipment & Support’s Pre-Qualification Questionnaire in June. The company believes that it has the strongest commercial and social value offering in the competition with a platform that meets the capability requirements of the UK Armed Forces.
JH