It was good news, albeit good news of the your-house-hasn’t-burned-down variety. Last week, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that Leonardo UK had been selected for a £1 billion contract to provide the armed forces with a new medium helicopter, thereby securing the future of the company’s factory at Yeovil and 3,300 jobs dependent on it.

It had not been an easy journey to the awarding of the contract. Leonardo was the only bidder, with Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin having dropped out between the announcement of the competition in 2022 and the end of the bidding process in 2024. The MoD had also dragged its feet after it was clear that Leonardo was the only bidder, much to the frustration of the company’s CEO, Roberto Cingolani. He warned first that the Yeovil facility’s future was dependent on winning the order, and then that Leonardo might have to close its entire UK operation if it did not find work soon. The company has other facilities in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Lincoln, Luton, Bristol, Basildon, London and Southampton, employing nearly 9,000 highly skilled workers.

Time and time again, the MoD denies that anything is seriously wrong

Time and time again, the MoD denies that anything is seriously wrong

Nevertheless, the matter is now resolved and Leonardo will deliver the new medium helicopter requirement with its AW149 model. An accompanying written ministerial statement by Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, packed in the corporate jargon and au courant political issues to make it sound like a red-letter day for defence procurement:

In an incredibly........

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