My money is on NMH getting canned in the DIP. AW189 is not the right platform for military medium lift and UK MOD knows it (personal view).

The rolling goat that is NMH should be put out of its misery.

The 2022 program launch was wholly compromised by the political, not operational, insistence on UK content (ruling out rapid FMS acquisition of UH-60M as the ADF did..) and seemingly written around a Yeovil produced product. Airbus took a swing with the H175M - but it was a low PK shot; an aircraft that had never been built or certified (the 'M' was brochurewear), and one that had Chinese DNA baked in. There was no production facility - so that, effectively, became their calculus. Build a new shed to assemble French built sections to demonstrate 'levelling up' in a politically sensitive area.

Once AceHawk were discounted at the PQQ stage (MoD - 'we'd like innovation!', AceHawk - 'Here's a novel approach to acquisition from a start up', MoD ' Errr, umm, no, we don't like that sort of innovation - we need to see £500m of MoD business first….), and FMS was ruled out, LM/S were left with the relatively expensive S-70i made even more expensive by having to gerrymander UK content and spend into it.

IMHO, NMH was never about replacing the Puma in capability terms. Indeed, there never was a replacement envisaged - once the Merlin transition was complete, Puma folded - that's been the plan since 2010. FML (Puma replacement) was canned as part of DRWCS 2009-10, and the money split between a savings option and the purchase of 12 of the Mk6 Chinooks (the first two were HMT funded as attrition replacements). The RAF is a bit salty as the follow on 10 Chinooks were cancelled under SDR10 - leaving them a squadron light after the Merlins had gone. The UK's RW fleet is bent out of shape by the conceit that the Merlin is the 'Medium' - it may be in capability terms, but in cost and size it's a Heavy - and it's therefore hard to convince a sceptical Treasury why we need another Medium type.

I'm not sure the ConEmp/ConUse etc were fully derived for NMH, and it's a given that zero thought was applied to C&D - 'new for old' seemed to be the rationale - and built at Yeovil the subtext for the last Government. Frankly, I'd of had more respect for Wallace et al if they'd just gone single source to Yeovil for the -149; they did for Wildcat, and I don't recall the French or Germans entertaining the thought of a competition for a sector where Airbus builds platform. Commentators and Users would've moaned, but we'd likely have got mid-30s in terms of airframes and a shorter 'Capability Holiday'.

As it is, the urgent (sole source...) H145 buy and defence inflation have made NMH increasingly unaffordable at min numbers (you can bet Airbus and LM/S legal teams are watching for competition roll back…), and time has made it irrelevant with MV-75 nearly here and NGRC (ENGMH in disguise) potentially a decade away.

The 149 is 'yesterday's helicopter, tomorrow' and even if we bought it today, IOC would be gusting 2030 (the integration of UK-spec DAS/Comms will be complex and expensive). As I've written elsewhere, it's like buying more Gladiators in 1937 to keep Gloster in business just as the Spitfire becomes available….If we truly have a 'MSH' deficit, and the need is urgent due to events in E Europe, then buy refurbished UH-60s; the DoW is about to divest 600+ UH-60Ls that would be ripe for a modest UK update (much of the kit is common to existing UK types).

If not, do the C&D and decide if we need an MSH at all, or if we will need the attributes of the MV-75/ENGMH, in the next decade. Then bake in the EP overhead to make it happen. However, RW is never a hot button for the military, nor is Yeovil for Labour. Let's also not kid ourselves that (Wildcat aside) LH(UK) do much more than assemble Italian helicopters with UK content. If the site/workforce is deemed of strategic value, get them maturing Proteus and designing/ building more M-UAS, while prepping to build MV-75/ENGMH in 5-10 years.

Or, we take a deep breath and continue to toss them a Govt subsidy in the form of NMH - knowing that they'll just be back for more in 10 years time...

how many times a company has to send execs to post dissing post competition?

If that was aimed at me, none of what you say is true, and I would have made the same comment about any similar post. I actually gave up reading it......

not you. cheers.

Just going to leave this here (article in Italian)…

https://aresdifesa.it/aw149-per-la-difesa-britannica/

Interesting - I wonder how much substance?

Some others elements in this thread from the military forum : https://www.pprune.org/military-avia...l#post12000610
.

Meant to be decision today but not seen anything as of lunchtime ..

cheers

Parliamentary question awaiting answer

Not in itself indicative, but no smoke without fire etc...

DIP is out tomorrow (delayed 1 day). Let's see what happens. I still think NMH gets cancelled.

CDS speaking at RUSI today, so it wouldn't do to steal his thunder.

Leonardo threatens UK operations shut down
 

Uncertain Future for Leonardo’s UK Division Amid Contract Delays
Published on: December 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
https://theaviationist.com/wp-conten..._1-860x484.jpg
Leonardo's Yeovil helicopter plant, which still awaits an expected UK order for the AW149. (Image credit: Leonardo)

The Telegraph reports that Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, has warned the UK Defence Secretary that further delays to contracts could threaten the company’s continued operations in the UK.

Leonardo, the defence industry giant based in Italy, maintains a significant UK presence with its helicopter production facility at Yeovil, historically operated by Westland, and various other sites across the country. For the past few years it has been clear that the future of the Yeovil plant has rested heavily on the outcome of the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract. Despite Leonardo’s offer of the AW149 platform being the sole remaining bid – others having dropped out over a year ago – the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has yet to formally place an order.
The Telegraph reports that Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, has warned the UK Defence Secretary that further delays to contracts could threaten the company’s continued operations in the UK.From Westland to Leonardo

The company has repeatedly warned that delays in awarding the NMH contract, as well as many other small programs, is placing the jobs of its UK personnel at risk. Now, in what appears to be a last ditch effort, The Telegraph reports that Leonardo chief executive officer Roberto Cingolani personally sent a letter to John Healey, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, to reiterate and reinforce the company’s concerns.

Industry dissatisfaction over a lack of contracts being issued for new UK defence projects has been particularly strong since the release of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in June 2025, which encouraged investment in UK industry. Its scheduled release had been pointed to by officials for some time in the months prior as a reason why new contracts were not then forthcoming, but now manufacturers have been again told to await the release of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP). Originally due this year, the DIP is now expected in 2026, with the high profile problems with the Ajax armored vehicle thought to have had an impact as well as Treasury pushback on spending plans.

Beyond the Yeovil site, Leonardo operates eight further locations stretching as far south as Southampton and as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland. These sites support work for various military capabilities and technologies, including communications, radar, infrared detection and countermeasures, electronic warfare, and more. The company says it supports over 31,000 British jobs, generating £2.5 billion for the UK’s economy.

At Yeovil itself, beyond NMH, the company is hopeful for future orders for its Merlin and Wildcat products, both of which are manufactured on site. Norway, who have selected the Type 26 frigate in one of the biggest ever overseas defence deals for the UK, are thought to be considering a buy of the maritime variant of the Merlin to fly from its ships. Expanding with NMH to include an AW149 production line would present more opportunities for ongoing work.
https://theaviationist.com/wp-conten..._3-706x471.jpg
he Telegraph, having seen Cingolani’s letter, says the CEO described NMH, worth around £1 billion, as a “cornerstone” of his company’s future UK plans. Further delays to, or potential cancellation of, the program would “force a reevaluation of Leonardo’s UK presence,” he added. The Yeovil factory is said to directly support 3,000 jobs, with a further 9,000 supported through extended supply chains.

While, given the overall scale of Leonardo’s presence in the UK and the cost of re-establishing this elsewhere, a complete withdrawal is unlikely, even some site closures, cutbacks, and job losses would be a major blow for the UK at a time when ministers frequently attempt to stress their commitment to the UK’s defence industry.

From Westland to Leonardo

Helicopter production at Yeovil dates back to 1948, when Westland Aircraft – who had produced fixed wing aircraft during the Second World War – used the site to manufacture a licence-built Sikorsky S-51. A further 148 would be built at the site under the name Westland Dragonfly. Yeovil would go on to be home to more of Westland’s collaborations with Sikorsky, namely the Westland Whirlwind, Westland Wessex, Westland Sea King, and even a one-off demonstrator of a Westland WS-70 Black Hawk. Final assembly of Pumas and Gazelles was also supported at Yeovil under agreements struck with Aérospatiale, with Westland then later taking the lead on the Lynx helicopter. Home-grown designs like the Westland Wasp and Westland Scout were also built.

Westland merged with Italian manufacturer Agusta in 2000, then becoming AgustaWestland. After GKN, who owned the Westland brand, sold their share in 2004 the company became solely owned by Finmeccanica. When Finmeccanica restructured and rebranded as Leonardo in 2016, its AgustaWestland subsidiary became Leonardo Helicopters. Locally, the Yeovil plant is still colloquially known as ‘Westlands’.In more modern times, the Yeovil plant has been home to production lines for the AW101 Merlin and AW159 Wildcat, and assembly of all UK military operated examples of these aircraft was performed at the Somerset factory. The UK’s unique licence-built AgustaWestland WAH-64D Apache attack helicopters were built on site, though the newly delivered AH-64E models were instead procured directly from Boeing. Upgrades for the Merlin fleet, namely the Merlin HC4, Merlin HM2, and Merlin Crowsnest programs, were also carried out at Yeovil. It is the last site in the UK to offer complete end-to-end helicopter production, but has not received a UK contract for new-build airframes since the Wildcat in the late 2000s.Most recently, Leonardo has produced a prototype of the Proteus rotary wing uncrewed aerial system (RWUAS) at Yeovil. Ground tests were completed in early December, with flight testing due to follow in the near future.
========================================
Kai Greet
Kai is an aviation enthusiast and freelance photographer and writer based in Cornwall, UK.

‘Yesterday’ helicopter bolted together in Yeovil, in fewer numbers than required, with less capability than required and with more ‘non-compliances’ than wanted - U.K. lives at risk but as long as Italian government makes more money from their shareholdings all
is good……
The ‘home’ of British Helicopters my ar5e.
happy Christmas y’all

Can someone tell me if the avionics in the nose are armoured?.

Negative, it's part of the radome so needs to be radar transmissive.

On the plus side, it has a weather radar, unlike most military helicopters

It can be equipped with the Gabiano radar which has some pretty powerful synthetic aperture modes, ISAR spot and strip, TWS modes, Ground moving target and vessel imaging modes, not just wx.

If required, the lower deck of the nose avionics bay could have ballistic protection provided without too much additional weight although when you get light on gas, you might run out of fwd C of G envelope if the cabin is heavy and there's too much weight in the nose. Unlikely with a military cab as there tends to be additional stuff elsewhere to balance it out.

Doubt it, the avionics package is behind the radome with a separating bulkhead..

Well, this surely turned into a major fiasco. A broke government, unable to ever reach or execute a decision, let alone stick to it through delivery, has only one bidder and still can't make it happen. And if they don't do as they are told, then Yeovil will be gone. What a disaster.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-t...-short-on-nmh/

UK tips Leonardo as key partner but stops short on NMH

By
Craig Langford

January 12, 2026

Ministers have confirmed that a decision on the Ministry of Defence’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme will not be taken immediately, with the outcome now tied to the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, as MPs warned in the Commons that continued delay could have consequences for Leonardo’s helicopter operation in Yeovil.

The issue was raised during an urgent question by Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance, who pressed the government to clarify the status of the £1 billion procurement and address concerns surrounding the future of the long-established Yeovil site, which has been associated with UK helicopter manufacturing for more than a century.

Responding for the government, defence minister Luke Pollard said the NMH programme remained a priority but stressed that a final decision would be taken only once the Defence Investment Plan is published. He told MPs that the programme, first announced in March 2021 with competition opening in February 2024, would be considered alongside wider equipment priorities and budget decisions. “It is something that remains on my priority list,” Pollard said, adding that the contract award would be determined through the Defence Investment Plan, which he said would be published as soon as possible and was backed by what the government describes as the largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War.

Pollard also confirmed that he had spoken earlier in the day with senior leadership at Leonardo UK, including the company’s chief executive and the managing director of Leonardo Helicopters, describing the firm as an important strategic partner for the Ministry of Defence.

He said discussions had covered NMH exports as well as autonomous helicopter development, and emphasised that the government intended to continue constructive engagement with the company and with trade unions. “Leonardo remains an important strategic partner for the MoD,” he told the House, pointing to its role not only in helicopter manufacture but also in servicing, electronics and emerging autonomous technologies.

Dance warned, however, that uncertainty around the programme was creating pressure at Yeovil, noting that Leonardo has been the sole bidder for the NMH contract for more than a year. He said the company had indicated that the current bid would not be sustainable beyond March and argued that further delay risked significant industrial consequences. “If this contract is not awarded by then, we will lose over 3,000 manufacturing jobs in Yeovil, support for over 12,000 jobs in the regional supply chain, and the £320 million that Leonardo contributes to local GDP,” he said. Those figures were cited by MPs during the exchange, reflecting concerns raised publicly by Leonardo’s leadership, but were not endorsed by ministers.

Other MPs from across the House echoed the industrial and strategic concerns.

Labour MP Calvin Bailey said the issue went beyond employment alone, arguing that the future of sovereign helicopter capability and long-term skills development was also at stake. He noted that the NMH programme had existed within what he described as an unfunded equipment plan inherited from the previous government, adding that difficult decisions were now unavoidable as part of a wider effort to stabilise defence investment and prioritisation. Former defence procurement minister James Cartlidge said he had deliberately weighted the NMH tender toward UK rotary-wing work and exportability when launching the competition in February 2024, warning that those aims would be undermined if the programme were cancelled.

Pollard declined to commit to a timetable or to separate the NMH decision from the Defence Investment Plan, saying he was not in a position to provide a definitive answer during the exchange. “The NMH decision will be made as part of the Defence Investment Plan that will be announced shortly, so I won’t be able to give him an answer today,” he said, while reiterating the government’s intention to continue engagement with Leonardo and to recognise the importance of Yeovil to the wider UK defence industrial ecosystem.

I stand to be corrected, but the AW149 'Production Line' is located at the PZL-Świdnik plant in Poland.

This would mean that Yeovil (like Vergiate), would be little more than a 'Completions Facility'.

So, how can Adam Dance/Leonardo Management suggest, that 3,000 manufacturing jobs in Yeovil will be lost, as a result of the loss of the ‘Completion Work’ of circa, 22 medium twin helicopters?