![Cougar](https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2023/01/Puma-e1674061349245.jpg)
The UK’s Puma helicopter fleet (pictured foreground) will probably be changed below the $1.3 billion New Medium Helicopter (UK MoD) program
BELFAST – Britain has lastly launched the negotiation section of its £1 billion ($1.3 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme, which is able to culminate within the submission of bids by three opponents, an important step in the direction of issuing a manufacturing contract in 2025.
James Cartlidge, UK Secretary of State for Protection, as we speak formally kicked off the Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) section on the Worldwide Army Helicopter Convention in London, with Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK all becoming a member of forces to to safe a contract.
These three firms “will now… [NMH] bids should be reviewed by the Division of Protection to find out the profitable bidder,” the Division of Protection stated in an announcement.
Britain’s Protection Tools and Assist (DE&S) army procurement arm will consider every bid “by means of 2025 when, topic to authorities approval, a contract award is predicted,” London added.
The acquisition of NMH would require the alternative of Puma helicopters and a lot of smaller rotary fleets resembling Bell 212, Bell 412 and Airbus AS365 Dauphins. Managing director of Airbus Helicopters UK, Lenny Brown, beforehand informed Breaking Protection that Britain had determined to cut back the overall variety of plane focused from 44 to 35 attributable to funding points, though the Ministry of Protection later stated no adjustments had been made to the “marketed requirement”. .”
As we speak’s assertion doesn’t specify what number of plane the Protection Division is in search of, and officers didn’t reply to a request for remark from Breaking Protection. The ITN section is predicted to supply a whole overview of the necessities and prices for the business for the primary time. London has constantly stated that export worth will probably be prioritized when assessing bids, alongside the usual concerns of native manufacturing and manufacturing.
Britain is but to substantiate when the plane will enter service, regardless of the Puma fleet being anticipated to retire earlier in 2025. However the nation famous that when the plane is operational, “it’ll present the armed forces with a brand new medium-altitude plane able to working in all environments in help of a broad spectrum of protection duties, from warfare to humanitarian efforts and operations throughout worldwide.”
Rivals have lengthy been eager to emphasise how nicely their respective plane and manufacturing plans align with the London acquisition technique.
Airbus Helicopters UK has dedicated to establishing an H175M manufacturing line in Broughton, Wales, the place it at the moment produces A380 wings for industrial plane. The army model of the super-medium helicopter plane seats 18 passengers, provides a variety of 600 nautical miles, a cruising pace of as much as 150 knots and might help troop transport, deployment of particular operations forces, utilities, search and rescue missions and medical evacuation missions. in keeping with the producer.
“It’ll present distinctive worth for cash, with low whole-life prices and require minimal coaching time for pilots as a result of cockpit similarities with the Airbus helicopters already used to coach all UK army pilots,” stated a Airbus spokesperson in an announcement.
![H175M](https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/H175M-Lloyd-Horgan-lo.jpg)
The Airbus H175M helicopter is considered one of three plane within the race to win a UK New Medium Helicopter (NMH) manufacturing contract, scheduled for 2025.
In an effort to deal with UK financial and social worth considerations, Airbus launched an H175M ‘process power’ in 2022, with UK suppliers Babcock, Martin-Baker and Spirit AeroSystems heading an inventory of key suppliers ought to the helicopter be finally chosen for manufacturing. Boeing UK has since joined that group to help upkeep coaching companies.
Airbus’ provide to arrange a UK-based helicopter manufacturing line poses a direct problem to Leonardo, which has historically been the UK’s solely onshore turning base, working from Yeovil, southern England.
Leonardo deploys the AW149 helicopter, which may transport 16 totally geared up troops, has a variety of 545 nautical miles and is designed to carry out battlefield help, troop transport, logistics help, risk suppression, Shut Air Assist (CAS), Command and Management (C2), Search and Rescue (SAR), Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) and Maritime Patrol Operations, in keeping with firm literature [PDF].
The versatile plane has already received export orders from Egypt, North Macedonia, Poland and Thailand, whereas Leonardo plans to provide greater than 60 p.c of Yeovil’s helicopter and for a wider “Group AW149 UK” provide chain, which is able to embody greater than 70 contains firms from England. , Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire, if the nation wins the NMH contract.
“Nearly all of the AW149’s structural design was carried out at Yeovil and the corporate has already made a multi-million pound funding in a brand new AW149 manufacturing line on the web site, in addition to platform-specific coaching for the corporate’s skilled helicopter engineers,” stated a Leonardo spokesperson.
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Leonardo’s AW149 has a wholesome export file and has secured orders from Egypt, North Macedonia, Poland and Thailand (Polish Ministry of Nationwide Protection)
The corporate has additionally highlighted that “an addressable market” of greater than 500 mid-range helicopters could possibly be leveraged for additional AW149 export success solely from the UK. Earlier export plane had been constructed on the corporate’s Verigate manufacturing line in Italy.
In the meantime, Lockheed Martin is providing the S-70M Black Hawk utility helicopter, which, as a part of a partnership settlement, will let British-based Customary Aero assemble the plane ought to or not it’s chosen by London for manufacturing.
“We welcome the publication of the Invitation to Negotiate for the New Medium Helicopter Competitors and can assessment its contents within the coming weeks,” an organization spokesperson stated. “We imagine Black Hawk is one of the best answer for UK protection and business, with a rating of 100 [percent] army helicopter utilized by and interoperable with 35 allied international locations, expertise switch, many years of export potential and greater than 600 jobs to Britain.”
On the launch of NMH “Group Black Hawk” final 12 months, Lockheed Martin stated “nearly” 40 p.c of plane manufacturing and meeting would happen in Britain.
Lockheed Martin additionally owns Polish producer PZL Mielec, which produces the S-70i export variant of the U.S. Military’s UH-60 Black Hawk from Poland. The producer expects manufacturing of the US army plane to final into the 2070s, with 5,000 plane delivered by September 2023 and 5 million logged flight hours below fight circumstances.