Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Merlin AW101 Helicopters have been (a) purchased by his Department and (b) are currently in service; and what plans he has to increase the helicopter fleet to help meet the operational requirements of the new Carrier Strike, Type 31 and Type 45 ships.
The Ministry of Defence have purchased a total of 72 Merlin Helicopters, of these, 55 Merlin remain in service.
The 2021 Integrated Review approved an extension to the out of service date for the Merlin from 2029-30 to 2040 and there are ongoing plans to modernise the overcall helicopter fleet available to HM Armed Forces, but there are no current plans to increase its size.