Shortlisted bidders for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement will have to wait until the New Year for the next stage of the tender process after yet another schedule slip to the long-running procurement.
Three companies – Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky – were notified in the autumn of 2022 that they had been cleared for the next stage of the NMH bid process, the release of the so-called Invitation to Negotiate (ITN).
The release of the ITN, detailing the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) exact requirements for the acquisition, was initially scheduled for September 2022. That was then pushed into the first quarter of this year, then later in the first half, before being delayed again until late 2023.
However, that deadline has now slipped further; publication of the ITN is now not expected before late January or early February 2024, according to multiple sources familiar with the MoD’s schedule.
At the launch of the NMH tender in 2022, the MoD had hoped for first delivery to take place in 2025 or even earlier.
But the latest slippage increases the risk that the first NMH platform will now not arrive until at least 2026 or 2027, based on typical procurement timelines.
Additional schedule pressure comes from the intention of all three bidders to establish new production lines in the UK for their helicopters should they win the NMH contest. A looming general election adds more uncertainty.
The MoD did not respond to questions on the timing of the ITN or delays to the overall schedule. However, it states: “Through competitive procurement, the New Medium Helicopter programme will provide a medium-lift aviation capability to support a wide range of defence tasks with a single helicopter type to maximise commonality, improve efficiency and operational flexibility.
“Positive progress is being made towards the next stage of the NMH competition with the three down-selected suppliers.”
But even the scope of the procurement has changed since 2022. Back then, the MoD said it was seeking “up to 44 platforms” to replace and rationalise multiple helicopter types across its inventory for a budget of £900 million to £1.2 billion ($1.1-1.5 billion).
The types up for replacement were led by the Royal Air Force’s 23-strong Puma HC2 fleet, but also included Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphins flown by the special forces for domestic missions, plus Bell 212s and 412s operated in Brunei and Cyprus.
However, the MoD announced last month that it planned to buy six Airbus Helicopters H145 Jupiter HC2s for operation in Brunei and Cyprus – roles currently being backfilled by Pumas. That move came on the back of suggestions earlier in the year that the size of the eventual NMH buy was likely to be in the range of 25-35 airframes.
In the meantime, the retirement date for the Puma fleet has also been moved by up to three years, to 2028.
Airbus Helicopters is offering its H175M for the NMH requirement, Leonardo Helicopters its AW149, and Sikorsky the S-70M. They will be built at sites in Broughton, Yeovil and Gosport, respectively.
