UK NMH programme faces further uncertainty
When the UK issued an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) in February 2024, three bidders were in the running to provide the UK’s armed forces with a New Medium Helicopter (NMH).…
August 19, 2024
When the UK issued an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) in February 2024, three bidders were in the running to provide the UK’s armed forces with a New Medium Helicopter (NMH). The NMH programme was intended to lead to the procurement of a single modern, medium-lift support helicopter type to address up to five rotary wing requirements (a replacement for the RAF’s 23 Pumas, and replacements for six Army Air Corps AS565 Dauphins, as well as three Bell 212s (in Brunei) and three Bell 412s (in Cyprus).
In November 2021 it was reported that the NMH requirement was for up to 44 helicopters, for introduction into service in 2025, but in July 2023, the CEO of Airbus Helicopters UK, Lenny Brown, reportedly said that industry had been informed that the requirement had been reduced and capped at 35 aircraft. This was even before the procurement of six H145s to replace the Bell 212s in Brunei and 412s in Cyprus – which had originally part of the NMH requirement. The then-Minister of State James Cartlidge said that the number of helicopters to be procured under the NMH requirement to replace the Airbus Puma HC2 and three other UK military rotorcraft types remained the same, and the MoD said that there had been “no change to the scope of the advertised New Medium Helicopter Contract Notice and Defence remains committed to this programme.”
ADS Advance reported that the assigned budget had been reduced to £950 billion (including VAT) from the original tender value of £1.2 billion (plus VAT), including training, spares and an initial five-year period of in-service support. ADS also reported that the requirement had been reduced to a minimum of 23 helicopters, with extra scoring for each extra helicopter up to a total of 33 aircraft. This minimum number was directly equivalent to the existing Puma fleet size.
In early July, Lockheed Martin were reported to be on the verge of ‘no-bidding’ the New Medium Helicopter requirement. This was denied, but industry suggested that Lockheed had been warned not to announce their withdrawal from the competition.
Industry sources now suggest that Airbus too may be out of the NMH competition, having reportedly informed the MoD that the programme is “not achievable” within the planned Total Contract Value.
This withdrawal from NMH, leaving the field clear for Leonardo’s AW149 could help further Airbus Helicopters’ reported ambition to forge a partnership with Leonardo to develop the European Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC).
