Helicopter upgrade deal safeguards 1,000 jobs

AgustaWestland will upgrade Merlin and Apache military helicopters as part of double MoD contract

Merlin Mk3/3a helicopters will replace the Sea King Mk 4s in 2016

Helicopter-maker AgustaWestland has been awarded two Ministry of Defence contracts which will secure more than 1,000 jobs in the UK.

The deal, worth £760 million, will see the firm upgrade two fleets of military helicopters - the Merlins and Apaches at its sites in Yeovil, Yeovil, Suffolk and Hampshire. 

The first contract will see Westland provide maintenance and support for the British Army's Apache attack helicopter, used on operations in Afghanistan, for the next five years.

The second contract will see the firm upgrade 25 RAF's Merlin Mk3/3a helicopters, used by the Royal Navy, which will replace the Sea King Mk 4 helicopters when they go out of service in 2016.


The Apache attack helicopter

The deal will safeguard 537 jobs at the company, while another 500 will be protected in the supply chain at GE Aviation in Cheltenham, General Dynamics in East Sussex, Selex ES in Luton, and APPH Aviation Services in Cheshire.

Speaking at a visit to the Yeovil-based helicopter company, defence secretary Philip Hammond told BBC Breakfast News: “This is a great news story for British engineering.

“It sustains 1,000 high-skilled jobs in the UK economy and ensures the armed forces have the support they need in the helicopter fleet.

“What we have to do is to make sure that we have here in the UK the capabilities we need to sustain our armed forces and to sustain the skills in the industry that keep us competitive in the future.”

Yeovil MP David Laws described the deal as an “important contract” and “a boost for our local economy and good news for the rest of the UK.”