https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...early-setbacks
If the AW149 is chosen by the MoD, production could be transferred to the legacy AgustaWestland factory in Yeovil, in southwest England, from the plant in Vergiate, Italy, and Leonardo hopes that a UK-buy could influence other possible buyers. “There are potential customers in the MENA region and in other areas. The truth is that if we can start to generate some interest from the UK customer they become a reference customer. A lot of countries follow what the UK does, which is why we see them as quite important at this time,” Whitney said.
But in the comments...
Ian Corrigible
November 18, 2019 - 8:29am
Didn't Leonardo already commit to building the AW149 in Yeovil back in 2006, when it appointed the site as the home of its military division in exchange for securing the Future Lynx order? Per the Rotorhub report on the announcement at the time:
Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Agusta, said that an AgustaWestland military division would be based in UK and that the “design, development and manufacture of the company’s latest military helicopter, the AW149 would be located in Yeovil.”