Leonardo in Yeovil has announced a series of successful export deals amounting to £322 million since September 2023, including significant contracts with Japan and South Korea, according to a recent press release.
The company has secured additional agreements with Japan, involving a contract with Kawasaki Heavy Industries for MCH-101 naval helicopter kits for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force.
In South Korea, Leonardo signed a five-year support services contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to maintain the AW159 Maritime Operations Helicopters used by the Republic of Korea Navy.
Leonardo’s export achievements, according to the firm, underscore its commitment to the UK supply chain, having generated over £6.8 billion in helicopter exports since 2013. In 2023 alone, the company invested £604 million in its manufacturing facilities in Somerset. This investment includes £120 million directed towards more than 250 SMEs and £4 million to upgrade the helicopter transmissions factory and Dynamic Composites Centre in Yeovil.
The company says it remains ‘AW149-ready’, prepared to deliver the medium multi-role helicopter to the UK Ministry of Defence if it wins the New Medium Helicopter competition.
Leonardo is the only company shortlisted in this competition with the onshore capabilities to produce a ‘Made in Britain’ helicopter for the UK Armed Forces.
According to a release from the firm:
“Leonardo is the only company down-selected in the New Medium Helicopter competition that has the skills and infrastructure onshore to provide a ‘Made in Britain’ helicopter to the UK Armed Forces. Decades of investment have empowered Leonardo to build a UK workforce comprising 430 design-focused engineers proficient in 87 essential skill sets for executing high-value helicopter design work. These skills have previously been employed in support of the UK’s Armed Forces on operations, including the delivery of 57 Urgent Operational Requirements relating to helicopters during Operations Telic and Herrick.
Should Leonardo be awarded the New Medium Helicopter contract, the company has pledged that future exports will be from the UK build line. The Department for International Trade has independently confirmed that the addressable export market for medium-sized military helicopters is 500 aircraft, worth tens of billions in UK exports. Recent sales of the AW149 to international armed forces, including NATO members Poland and North Macedonia, prove that the modern, military-designed helicopter is being embraced for its survivability, performance, and availability.”
Leonardo’s Managing Director of Helicopters UK, Adam Clarke, stated, “In the UK, Leonardo is investing hundreds of millions to sustain our nation’s position at the forefront of rotorcraft research, design, and manufacture.” Clarke emphasised the company’s commitment to developing advanced helicopter technologies and supporting both domestic and international customers.
Congratulations. Push on!
Hopefully they’ll also be some follow up export success with Wildcats for the Phillipines and new Zealand.
The reality is gaining the export 149 production line is huge for the UK…that’s potentially hundreds of rotor produced….It massively outweighs any minor cost difference.
I’d be inclined to agree, as long as we can refrain from putting too many extras onto the base airframe – or at least put them on at the beginning of the contract…!
Plus, I believe Leonardo are the only non-US firm developing tilt rotors, even if only under license. Better future options
And the future large rotor autonomous vehicles….it’s a really significant sovereign capacity that goes well beyond the meduim. Rotor.
See what you mean but I don’t think you can really call the AW 609 a licence built tilt rotor at this stage. Leonardo were involved with Bell very early on even if it were a Bell initiated design back then and then Bell dropped out way back and developed their own different options with increasingly few overlaps. Leonardo has pretty much developed it independently for two decades now with little Bell direct input. Would say it’s very much a Leonardo product now with the only restriction being on a Military specific version.