Up to 3,000 skilled manufacturing jobs could be at risk unless the Ministry of Defence moves quickly to place a long-delayed helicopter order, according to industry sources close to the programme.
Workers at Leonardo Helicopters’s Yeovil site in Somerset, the UK’s last remaining military helicopter factory, fear the company could close the facility as early as the end of March if the government fails to commit to a new contract within weeks.
Leonardo, the Italian-owned defence group that acquired the former Westland Helicopters business, is the sole bidder for the £1bn “new medium helicopter” programme, which was launched by the Ministry of Defence in February 2024. However, prolonged delays in awarding the contract have cast doubt over the future of the site.
Industry insiders say the bid’s “best and final offer” expires in March, with pricing dependent on complex global supply-chain commitments. One source said Leonardo would have needed confirmation by January to meet production and delivery timelines. Any delay beyond March risks forcing the entire procurement process to restart.
“It’s critical at the moment,” the source said. “If this slips past March, the price and the bid itself may no longer be valid.”
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