Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 6993 on Puma Helicopters, when does he expect delivery to (a) commence and (b) be completed.

As I outlined in my speech at the International Military Helicopters Conference earlier today, I am pleased to confirm that we have now launched the next stage of the New Medium Helicopter competition.

Industry's detailed responses to the Invitation to Negotiate will provide a clearer understanding of aspects, such as suppliers' production capacity, which will enable us to confirm the timelines for the programme, and we expect to proceed to contract award in 2025.