Puma replacement: UK officially launches NMH competition

The UK Ministry of Defense has launched the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program, which seeks to purchase up to 44 new medium helicopters to replace existing Army and Strategic Command helicopters.

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The contract will be worth between £900 million and £1 billion, and in addition to the helicopters, will include the provision of training capabilities and an initial maintenance/logistics package.

One of the objectives of the program is to homogenize the medium helicopter fleet in use by the UK Armed Forces, as it seeks to replace the Aerospatiale SA 330E Puma HC2s in Royal Air Force service, and the Dauphin, Bell 212 and Bell 412 in British Army service, with a single platform.

The leading candidates for the NMH program are Leonardo, with its AW149 platform, Airbus Helicopters with the H175M and Sikorsky with the UH-60 Black Hawk. AceHawk, a British company that seeks to tempt with a pocket-friendly offer, is offering second-hand Black Hawks, modernized with an updated cockpit and optimized to the customer’s requirements. Bell Helicopters will also be a contender, offering a militarized version of its Bell 525 Relentless.

NMH Program Requirements

According to the contract solicitation notice, the requirements are as follows:

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• The bid must provide for up to 44 platforms
• Design Organisation integration services for Government Furnished Assets (GFA) and Mission Role Equipment (MRE)
• Up to 2 flight simulators
• Training courses for qualified helicopter instructors, aircrew, and ground crew maintenance personnel
• Training material for the continuous training of aircrew and maintenance personnel
• An initial in-service support package, which will include:
  • Initial supply spares
  • Deployment support packages
  • Ground support equipment and specialized tools
  • Technical publications and crew publications
  • Logistics Management System (spares)
  • Forward and Depth Maintenance
  • Design Organization (DO) modifications and technical support.

Helicopters shall be capable of integrating various types of special mission equipment, as the operational need arises.

The duration of the contract is expected to be 7 years, but will be determined by the agreed production schedule, which will reflect the supplier’s ability to complete delivery of the aircraft and an initial support phase.

The duration of the supplier’s logistics support assistance will be approximately 5 years, starting from the first delivery of the aircraft. Also, the bid requirements specify that training services will commence prior to the first delivery of the aircraft, to support entry into service.

Although the competition has just formally started, both Leonardo and Airbus have been developing an aggressive campaign to promote their candidates since the middle of last year.

The companies have until June 20 at 00:00 to submit their initial offers to the Ministry of Defense.