Leonardo Helicopters has been awarded a £14.6 million contract by the Ministry of Defence to assess how best to extend the service life of the Royal Navy’s fleet of Merlin Mk4 and Mk4A helicopters into the 2040s.
The contract forms part of the second phase of the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme (OSDEP), and will be carried out at Leonardo’s Yeovil site in Somerset.
The Merlin Mk4 and Mk4A are operated by the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), based at RNAS Yeovilton. These aircraft are the world’s most advanced amphibious battlefield helicopters and play a vital role in delivering tactical mobility, air assault, and aviation support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. The force is held at high readiness to deploy globally from either land bases or amphibious ships.
The contract will support a full review of technical obsolescence issues likely to emerge across the Mk4 fleet in the 2030s. Leonardo will examine ageing airframe components, mission systems, and associated training aids. The findings will inform a follow-on Design and Manufacture contract to implement upgrades needed to safely sustain the helicopters through to an extended out-of-service date.
The Mk4 airframes, converted from earlier Mk3 aircraft under a previous Life Sustainment Programme, feature advanced avionics, improved communications, upgraded safety systems, and modifications such as folding rotor blades and tail sections to support maritime operations from Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.
The aircraft are a key part of Joint Helicopter Command and are routinely deployed on amphibious exercises, carrier strike group operations, and humanitarian missions. They can lift troops, vehicles and equipment directly to the battlefield or extract casualties under fire, and are capable of operating in challenging conditions from unprepared sites or ship decks.
The contract award notice was published under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011. The MOD issued the single-source award on the basis that Leonardo holds exclusive access to the technical data, tooling and engineering knowledge required to perform the work. Prior publication of a contract notice was deemed unnecessary under regulation 16(1)(a)(ii).
With no firm end-of-service date currently set for the Mk4 fleet, the OSDEP assessment marks a critical step in sustaining the UK’s amphibious rotary-wing capability into the 2040s. The Commando Helicopter Force continues to serve as the backbone of tactical lift for the Royal Navy’s global deployments, with the Merlin Mk4 at the centre of that effort.
I’m sure the Merlin Mk5 upgrade to 8 helicopters, will bring us a ‘world beating’ maritime tactical transport helicopter for 3 billion quid and reach FOC the year they are retired…
Leonardo are now doubt popping the champagne bottles again in its ongoing money for all rope campaign.
Think of the Jobs, mate!
Never mind the military.
Absolutely mate, the Leonardo Helicopter Cartel keeps the ‘big bucks’ drum beat going into the 2040’s….
+ a handful of new Polish built Merlins and that’s the NMH program sorted?
I wonder if we now couldn’t co-develop a modernised and simpler two engined Merlin with Poland, assuming there is sufficient demand for the export market too?
Such a helicopter would meet the NMH and Amphibious requirements, providing a combined maritime capable fleet of 50 helicopters..
Make too much sense???
I recall a conversation along those lines a while back. Folks more expert than me ( not difficult) said a 2 engine Merlin made no sense. But maybe invest in a specialised, substantially modified or new variant of Merlin which is optimised for the medium troop lifting role.
The base design goes back to the early 1980’s with a first flight in 1987, so 38 years ago.
A modern and simpler twin engine derivative is perfectly possible, ‘if’ there is sufficient export potential.
I suspect the real reason there has been no push to seriously update the Merlin is it’s not an ‘in house’ design, it was a collaborative design effort with Westland.
Leonardo want its current and future helicopters to Italian through and through, can’t really blame them for that.
Too big, Paul.
The winning design (if it happens at all mate) will have to fit a very specific set of stringent requirements, first and most important, to enable retiring senour top brass get non executive positions on leonados board.
So, look exactly the same as an AW149 in other words!
It was a done deal long ago. If it actually comes to pass. It has gone very quiet.
No doubt HMG and the MoD will hope most will forget Puma even existed so the whole idea can be quietly dropped and the 6 HS145 seen as the solution.
I’m sure you are right mate, perhaps a lease of additional HS145 for permissive use, allied Blackhawk or RAF Chinook for anything operational.
Ah, yes, just comparing contenders I see what you mean. AW 149 does look like the choice on range and payload as a like for like Puma replacement.