- £60 million over four years to design and develop an uncrewed
helicopter demonstrator
- Supporting up to 100 highly skilled UK jobs at Leonardo’s
Yeovil site
- Delivering innovative defence capability to support UK Armed
Forces
Driving innovation in future naval capability, the project will
support up to 100 highly skilled engineering jobs at Leonardo’s
Yeovil site.
Testing the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft for the Royal
Navy, the three-tonne demonstrator – less than a fifth of the
weight of a Merlin helicopter - could provide an innovative
alternative to existing aircraft for tracking adversary
submarines.
Trials will test the capability of the aircraft to drop
“sonobuoys” – small tube-shaped buoys that track and communicate
submarine activity – enabling the aircraft to alert a crewed
helicopter and call for support if a submarine is located.
Designed to operate at lower cost than crewed aircraft,
capabilities derived from the demonstrator could also reduce the
exposure of Royal Navy personnel to hostile threats.
Minister for Defence Procurement, , said:
The global threat is changing, and it is crucial we remain at the
forefront of defence innovation.
Exploring cutting-edge, new defence capabilities through
programmes with key British manufacturers, will help to ensure
our Armed Forces are equipped to deal with the latest threats.
If successful, the new aircraft would provide a platform capable
of delivering improved surveillance and intelligence, enabling
crewed Royal Navy helicopters to re-deploy on alternative
missions if required and bolstering UK defence capability.
Director Develop Royal Navy, Rear Admiral James Parkin,
said:
Proving the benefits of larger uncrewed aircraft (rotary and
fixed wing) will be key to understanding whether such aircraft
can effectively contribute to future Royal Navy capabilities,
particularly for Anti-Submarine Warfare.
Capable of carrying a large payload, combined with the ability to
operate in harsh environmental conditions, the aircraft could
also demonstrate its utility across a range of requirements.
Beyond Anti-Submarine Warfare, the project will address other
potential uses including ship to ship resupply and casualty
evacuation.
Sir , DE&S CEO, said:
Our team were able to make use of a novel and agile delivery
approach to ensure that we can accelerate potential new
technologies through to the demonstration phase so that they can
be delivered into the hands of the UK Armed Forces at the
earliest opportunity if required.
The four-year contract will deliver an uncrewed demonstrator as
part of intentions outlined in the Defence
Capability Framework for future find, strike and lift
capabilities to be increasingly delivered by uncrewed and
autonomous systems.
Adam Clarke, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters
(UK), said:
Uncrewed VTOL aircraft will transform military capability whilst
also having application in other market sectors, both in the UK
and around the world. This contract represents a major step
towards our future in next generation uncrewed military
technology and the sustainment of unique engineering skills
onshore.
The uncrewed helicopter is due to undertake its first flight in
2025.
