Merlin Helicopters

(asked on 24th March 2025) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what approvals process is required for the Merlin Out of Service Date Extension Programme; and what the timescale is for that process.


Answered by
Maria Eagle Portrait
Maria Eagle
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This question was answered on 27th March 2025

The Royal Navy’s Merlin helicopter Out-of-Service Date Extension Programme, to retain the capability in service from 2029-30 until 2040, is currently underway through standard Ministry of Defence processes. The Outline Business Case was approved in October 2023. A Review Note was approved in December 2024. Departmental Spend Control Approvals are currently considering whether to commit expenditure for this Programme in 2025-26. The forecast for a Full Business Case submission is in early 2027.

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