Helicopter factory hopeful about £1bn contract

A helicopter maker said it has had "good dialogue" with the government about a delayed contract decision that has left 3,000 workers in limbo.

Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil, Somerset, is the UK's last helicopter factory and is the only bidder for the £1bn contract.

CEO Roberto Cingolani and Yeovil MP Adam Dance have previously said the firm's future would be at risk if its bid to build the required helicopters was not approved.

Adam Wardrope, Leonardo's vice president of market development, suggested the company was feeling hopeful after its latest talks with the government and the Ministry of Defence.

The government has repeatedly delayed its decision but it is now expected to be made by the end of March.

News of the positive discussions comes days after Sir Keir Starmer was reportedly considering a significant increase in defence spending.

The government has previously said it needs to "fundamentally rewire defence" to "deter and if necessary defeat" those who threaten the UK.

The contract Leonardo is hoping to get is for its conventional helicopters – but on 20 February it unveiled its newest model: the UK's first autonomous full-size helicopter.

The model, Proteus, recently undertook its first flight. It was designed to conduct a range of missions including anti-submarine warfare and patrolling the seas.

Leonardo's Wardrope told the BBC that Proteus is "part of the future of Yeovil".

But he admitted the 3,000 workers at the base are "desperate to know what comes next" regarding the company's future.

"We're still very busy, things like Proteus, support contracts, and international customers we're servicing," Wardrope said.

"Everyone's very busy, there's still a future in the fact that there's lots of work to do."

However, Ben Clarke, the workplace representative for the Unite union, told BBC Radio Somerset the people who have the skills to develop Proteus may have to leave if the government contract is not approved.

He said: "Any employee who works on the Yeovil site is definitely in a slight confusion as to what's happening at the moment.

"The government needs to wake up and understand we're having these delays by not giving an answer to Leonardo either way, it's putting huge pressure on Leonardo and the constituency."

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