Following the release of the New Medium Helicopter tender by the UK’s Ministry of Defense; Harry Boneham, Aerospace Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, shares his view:
“Replacing the UK’s Pumas, Dauphins and Bell 212s/412s with helicopters is an attractive prospect for any successful bidder, with GlobalData expecting the UK military rotorcraft budget to amount to $4.62 billion between 2021 and 2031. The tender, released on 18 May, solicits bids for 44 platforms.
“The underlying logic behind the helicopter program is to consolidate rotary wing requirements into one platform-type, increasing commonality and thereby increasing efficiency.
“Currently, there are a number of firms that are positioned to submit offers for the tender, including Airbus, Textron, Boeing, Leonardo, and Lockheed Martin.
“Likely bids will be put into two categories. Some, such as Leonardo and Airbus, will offer civilian platforms that have been converted for military use—Airbus has already signaled its intent to offer the new military variant of the H175 helicopter. Meanwhile, Sikorsky, will likely offer the much-used S-70M.
“The next big decision is to choose between an unproven civilian adaptation, which could generate jobs in the UK, or a veteran military platform, which would provide a quick procurement win for the MoD.”
