VIVAERO Leonardo wins £1bn MoD deal to build 23 AW149 helicopters in Yeovil The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a £1bn contract award for new medium helicopters (NMH). Under the programme, Leonardo will build and deliver 23 latest generation AW149s from Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters, boosting the UK Armed Forces’ capabilities. The deal cements the site’s role of serving the national and export market with advanced military rotorcraft, with significant potential for the international market in the future, combining AW149 and other types for export. It also secures thousands of skilled British jobs across the supply chain as well as sovereign defence skills and expertise for decades to come. The MoD has also confirmed further investment in Proteus, the UK's first autonomous rotary wing uncrewed air system. Proteus has been developed with the Royal Navy and undertook its first flight earlier this year. Proteus and NMH represent a major investment into the UK’s in...
