8 March 2006
Yeovil helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland has been awarded the Integrated Merlin Operational Support contract for the Ministry of Defence’s fleet of EH101 Merlin helicopters. The deal, worth £450 million for the first five years of a 25 year contract, will provide support for EH101 Merlin Mk.1 and Mk.3 helicopters, operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
“Until now the MoD has operated separate support systems for the two different types of Merlin aircraft,” said Adam Ingram, Minister for the Armed Forces. “This was the best approach when introducing both helicopters into service, but not the optimum way to manage support in the long-term.
AgustaWestland has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to provide support to the Royal Navy’s EH101 Merlin HM Mk.1 mission system, which includes the Merlin Avionics Systems, the Merlin Avionic Test System and the Merlin Training System at RNAS Culdrose.
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