On Monday, March 23, 2026, the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) agency of the UK Ministry of Defence signed a 1 billion GBP contract with Leonardo UK (part of the Italian Leonardo group) for the delivery of 23 AgustaWestland AW149 medium multirole helicopters under the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program. The winner was announced on March 2 this year.
Photo: DE&S
The contract was signed at Leonardo UK’s headquarters in Yeovil, Somerset, in southwest England. On behalf of the contractor, it was signed by Nigel Colman, Managing Director of Helicopters UK at Leonardo.
It was emphasized that the offered rotorcraft will be capable of cooperating with unmanned systems in the future, and that the development of an optionally piloted version of the helicopter is also being considered. More than 40% of the helicopters will be manufactured at Leonardo UK’s facility in Yeovil and assembled there as well. It was noted that these and international orders for Leonardo UK could exceed 15 billion GBP over the next 10 years, supporting 3,900 jobs – 20% more than at present (3,300). The NMH program alone is expected to directly employ 650 people, with nearly 70 companies involved in the supply chain.
Photo: DE&S
New Medium Helicopter
According to the document titled Defence Command Paper, published by the UK Ministry of Defence on March 22, 2021, the NMH program sought successors to the Westland Puma HC.Mk 2 medium multirole helicopters in the Royal Air Force (RAF), which were retired on March 27, 2025 (after 54 years of service), as well as to the Bell Griffin HT1/HAR2 (Bell 412EP) helicopters used by the RAF and the Army Air Corps for various tasks. Deliveries were originally planned to begin in 2025. The total requirement was initially estimated at 44 aircraft, but plans were reduced in 2024.
Leonardo UK’s planned offer with the AW149 had been known since April 2021. In August 2024, two competitors withdrew from the tender, Airbus Helicopters with the H175M and Lockheed Martin with the Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk International, without submitting final bids.
Earlier, Egypt (for its navy: 24 with an option for 10 more), Thailand (1 for the police and 4 for the army), Poland (32 units, including 21 from a new production line at PZL-Świdnik), and North Macedonia (4 units) had selected the AW149 (the military version of the AW189). Additionally, Malaysia plans to lease 12 rotorcraft.
Source: Leonardo UK
The AW149 helicopter is a multirole military platform capable of operating under VFR/IFR (Visual Flight Rules/Instrument Flight Rules) conditions, both day and night, as well as in NVC (Night Vision Conditions). Its maximum takeoff weight is 8,300 kg, with the option to increase it to 8,600 kg. The helicopter’s maximum speed is 313 km/h, with a cruising speed of 287 km/h. The crew consists of two personnel, although basic missions can be carried out by a single pilot. The maximum range is 958 km, and maximum endurance is 4 hours and 55 minutes. The AW149 can carry up to 19 passengers.
The helicopter can be powered either by two General Electric CT7-2E1 turboshaft engines (this variant was selected by Poland) or by Safran Aneto-1K engines, in both cases supported by a 60-watt Safran e-APU auxiliary power unit.
The AW149 can be equipped with surveillance systems, gun armament, guided and unguided rockets, as well as self-defense systems. Depending on the helicopter’s configuration, weapons can be mounted either in the cabin or on external hardpoints.
A £1bn New Medium Helicopter commitment to UK defence has been signed with @Leonardo_UK.
The programme will:
🚁 Deliver 23 new AW149 helicopters
💼 Secure thousands of UK jobs
🇬🇧 Help generate £15bn in future export orders pic.twitter.com/pEZFChY54Z— Defence Equipment & Support (@DefenceES) March 24, 2026
Yesterday we welcomed @DefenceHQ to #Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters, for the official signing of the New Medium Helicopter contract. This marks a major milestone for the UK’s future helicopter capability and reflects the trust placed in #Leonardo to deliver a modern,… pic.twitter.com/KwcG7dmsQy
— Leonardo in the UK 🇬🇧 (@Leonardo_UK) March 24, 2026
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