A £1bn contract will see Leonardo build 23 new military helicopters for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) at its facility in Yeovil, Somerset.
Under the new medium helicopter (NMH) contract, the Italian-owned aerospace firm will build and deliver 23 latest-generation AW149 helicopters. Known as the ‘Home of British Helicopters’, the Yeovil site has been in operation for more than 80 years, with manufacturing dating back to the Second World War.
With 3,300 people employed at the site, securing the competitive NMH government contract is seen as vital to safeguarding thousands of British jobs at the site as well as across the wider supply chain. Leonardo’s chief executive Roberto Cingolani said late last year that Leonardo “cannot subsidise Yeovil forever”, implying that the factory’s future could be at risk if it was not awarded the contract.
The government said the deal would secure existing jobs but also create up to 650 new ones, boosting the local workforce.
The new deal will not only...