U.K. MoD Orders 23 Leonardo AW149 Helicopters for $1.3B

The U.K. Ministry of Defence has announced a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) contract award to Leonardo for 23 Leonardo AW149 helicopters under its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme.

The aircraft will be built and delivered from Leonardo’s Yeovil site.

The department also confirmed further investment in Proteus, the U.K.’s first autonomous rotary-wing uncrewed air system, developed with the Royal Navy. Proteus completed its first flight earlier this year.

The NMH program originally called for the replacement of 23 Puma HC2 helicopters and a number of smaller rotary fleets like Bell 212, Bell 412, and Airbus AS365 Dauphins. The new AW149 fleet is desperately needed to plug a rotary capability gap left by retirement of the Puma HC2 fleet in March 2025.

The AW149 can carry up to 16 fully equipped troops, offers a range of 545 nautical miles and is designed to carry out battlefield support, troop transport, logistics support, threat suppression, Close Air Support (CAS), Command and Control (C2), Search and Rescue (SAR), Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) and maritime patrol operations.