AgustaWestland’s status as the UK Ministry of Defence’s favoured supplier of rotorcraft services was reaffirmed last week, when the company received a potentially £2.2 billion ($3.8 billion), non-competitive contract to support operations of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy EH101 Merlins until 2030. The MoD has, meanwhile, also announced its intention to extend a £300 million, April 2005 deal with the company to provide operational support for its Sea King utility helicopters.
Worth £450 million over its first five years, the newly announced Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) contract will guarantee aircraft availability and serviceability rates and training system operations under an incentivised partnering arrangement. This will save an estimated £1 billion over 25 years and safeguard 1,200 jobs, primarily at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil site, the MoD says. The RN operates 42 Merlin HM1 multi-mission helicopters and the RAF 22 Merlin HC3 transports, with operations of the types to continue until 2029 and 2030, respectively.
By grouping numerous support deals into a single contract, the IMOS deal will “allow industry to meet changing MoD requirements while retaining supply chain stability”, says AgustaWestland. The company has also contracted Lockheed Martin to support the Merlin HM1’s mission system under the multi-year support package.
The MoD meanwhile expects to sign a £400 million-plus contract with AgustaWestland in 2007 for the second phase of its Sea King integrated operational support programme. The company is hoping for similar deals for the British Army’s Apache AH1 attack and army/RN Future Lynx helicopters.
- Seven companies are expected to return invitations to tender this week to bid for a study into a manned rotary-wing solution for the UK’s Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control requirement. Aerosystems International, AgustaWestland, BAE Systems, EADS, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Thales are all bidding for the work as part of the project’s assessment phase, launched last year.
CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON
Source: Flight International
