UK Helicopter Deal Creates 600 Jobs in Yeovil

A Somerset town is celebrating after a billion-pound deal saved thousands of jobs and promises to create 600 more at a historic aerospace factory.

Leonardo Helicopters won a contract to build 23 new military helicopters for the UK Ministry of Defence at its Yeovil site. The agreement ends months of uncertainty for 3,300 workers who faced an unclear future if the deal fell through.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the contract will pave the way for future export orders of the AW149 helicopter, all built on British soil. Defence Secretary John Healey said Yeovil will become "the proud home of Leonardo's global military helicopter production."

The Yeovil factory carries serious heritage. It built planes for World War One under the name Westland, then switched to helicopters in the 1950s. Today it specializes in Merlin and Wildcat helicopters used by armed forces worldwide.

Leonardo's chief executive had warned the factory's future was at risk without this contract. Workers waited anxiously as the government delayed its decision past the autumn deadline, finally confirming the deal late Friday night with just days to spare before a March 1 cutoff.

The Ripple Effect

This win reaches far beyond Yeovil. International orders for military helicopters could generate more than £15 billion in exports over the next decade, the Ministry of Defence projects.

The potential job growth tells an even bigger story. The MoD says increased production could sustain 3,900 total positions at the site, a 20% jump from current levels. That includes the 600 new roles plus securing existing jobs.

Leonardo operates additional sites across Edinburgh, Luton, Basildon, Bristol, Newcastle, Southampton and Lincoln. Thousands more workers in supply chains throughout the UK stand to benefit from increased helicopter production and export orders.

Nigel Colman, managing director of helicopters UK at Leonardo, said the company is "committed to providing the UK armed forces with a world-class medium lift helicopter" that will serve military personnel for many years ahead.

A historic factory that's been building aircraft for over a century just secured its next chapter.