Unite urges UK-built helicopters at Leonardo Yeovil

Senior Unite trade union representatives have written to the Prime Minister urging the government to commit to building the UK’s future medium lift helicopters at Leonardo’s Yeovil facility, warning that further delays risk permanent damage to Britain’s rotary-wing manufacturing capability, according to the union.

The letter follows an Urgent Question raised in Parliament on the Medium Lift Helicopter programme and responds to government confirmation that the project will be included in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. Unite said that while inclusion is welcome, delaying firm procurement decisions until March would come too late for the Yeovil site.

In the letter, union representatives described Leonardo Yeovil as the UK’s last remaining facility capable of designing, manufacturing and sustaining military helicopters. They said the site supports a highly skilled, unionised workforce and an extensive national supply chain that contributes significant economic value beyond the immediate workforce.

The union warned that postponing a procurement decision risks the loss of specialist skills and the dispersal of experienced engineers, which it said would be extremely difficult to rebuild once lost. The letter argues that such an outcome would leave the UK increasingly reliant on overseas suppliers for a core military capability, with higher long-term costs and reduced operational resilience.

The representatives also linked the helicopter decision to wider concerns across the UK defence aerospace sector. While welcoming the recent Typhoon export order, the letter states that exports alone are not sufficient to sustain long-term fast-jet manufacturing capacity without further domestic orders.

Unite said a UK Typhoon commitment would help secure production at Warton and Samlesbury, protect jobs at Rolls-Royce and MBDA, and maintain national control over weapons integration and security of supply.

In the letter, the union argued that defence procurement choices carry both economic and strategic consequences, particularly amid increased geopolitical instability. The representatives said investment decisions should strengthen domestic industrial capability rather than risk its erosion through delay.

The letter concludes by calling on the Prime Minister to act urgently, urging a timely commitment to the Medium Lift Helicopter programme at Leonardo Yeovil alongside a clear pathway to sustain the UK’s combat air manufacturing base.

The correspondence was signed by Ben Clarke, Unite convenor at Leonardo Helicopters Yeovil, Steve McGuinness of Unite’s Executive Council for Aerospace and Shipbuilding, Jed Ellis of Unite’s Executive Council for the Southwest Region, and senior trade union representatives from across the UK defence sector.