Yeah, okay, so the Italian defense giant Leonardo is basically holding a gun to its own UK factory’s head. They told the British government that their last helicopter plant, in Yeovil, will probably shut down if they don’t win a billion-pound contract to replace the old Puma helicopters. The CEO, Roberto Cingolani, wrote a letter to Defence Secretary John Healey laying it out. Their AW149 model is the only one still in the running.
The whole thing is a pretty blunt ultimatum. No new contract means they will rethink everything in Britain, not just building choppers but also their electronics and cybersecurity work. The plant employs over three thousand people and builds stuff like the Merlin helicopter. Company bosses say they cannot just keep the lights on with export orders alone. Cingolani basically said they are not going to subsidize the place forever after going more than ten years without a big UK order.
The Ministry of Defence is doing its usual thing, saying no decision is final and the business case is still being looked at. A minister repeated that in Parliament, hiding behind commercial sensitivity. This all happens while the new Prime Minister is making big promises about increasing defense spending. The irony is thick. The whole future of making helicopters in the country might just boil down to this one contract, which is a pretty sad state of affairs.
The whole thing is a pretty blunt ultimatum. No new contract means they will rethink everything in Britain, not just building choppers but also their electronics and cybersecurity work. The plant employs over three thousand people and builds stuff like the Merlin helicopter. Company bosses say they cannot just keep the lights on with export orders alone. Cingolani basically said they are not going to subsidize the place forever after going more than ten years without a big UK order.
The Ministry of Defence is doing its usual thing, saying no decision is final and the business case is still being looked at. A minister repeated that in Parliament, hiding behind commercial sensitivity. This all happens while the new Prime Minister is making big promises about increasing defense spending. The irony is thick. The whole future of making helicopters in the country might just boil down to this one contract, which is a pretty sad state of affairs.
