Leonardo Helicopters talk up UK contribution to AW149

Leonardo Helicopters has said it is a “misnomer” to consider the AW149 helicopter to be a purely Italian platform, as the company awaits a formal procurement strategy announcement by the UK for its New Medium Helicopter programme. Detailed in the March 22 release of the UK Defence Command Paper, the programme will see investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s in order to consolidate the disparate fleet of four platform types in service, including the RAF’s 23