Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 444, what recent progress his Department has made on the New Medium Helicopter programme.

The second stage of the New Medium Helicopter competition commenced on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. Only Leonardo Helicopters UK elected to submit a tender.

The New Medium Helicopter competition remains sensitive, and the evaluation and approval process needs to complete before further details, including aircraft numbers, can be confirmed.