Wrong sort of Merlin. Royal isn't the user I'm thinking of, nor is tactical lift. If 60 Chinook, 25 Merlin and 20 or so Puma isn't enough to support future tactical lift, then we may be doing something wrong (even with some frames retiring with age).
The Merlins with mission systems are the ones we need more of - and despite some expectations, UAV will not replace them any time soon.