The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence has extended its contract with Leonardo under a £165 million ($213 million) deal for the maintenance of the Royal Navy’s fleet of 54 Merlin helicopters.
The Merlin HM Mk2 helicopter is the Royal Navy’s airborne submarine hunter, capable of carrying out search and rescue operations, intercepting drug runners and pirates, and supporting humanitarian relief efforts.
Armed with Sting-Ray Torpedoes and M3M .50 calibre machine guns, the Mk2 helicopters provide the Royal Navy with anti-submarine and anti-surface support. There are currently two types of Merlin helicopter currently in use in the Royal Navy: the mark-2 (Mk2) and the mark-4 (Mk4).
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the five-year deal supports the government’s Plan for Change by bolstering national security and boosting the economy, and will sustain 200 jobs at Leonardo’s helicopters facility in Yeovil, Somerset, and 800 more across the wider UK supply chain.
We’ve signed a new £165m contract with @Leonardo_UK to service the @RoyalNavy’s fleet of Merlin helicopters, supporting 1,000 high-paying jobs and the wider UK economy.
This investment boosts national security and utilises defence as an engine for economic growth. 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/hJHd1jZoIC
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 1, 2025
The contract extension with Leonardo covers the fleet of 30 Merlin Mk2 maritime patrol helicopters and 24 Merlin Mk4 amphibious and battlefield lift aircraft.
“Our fleet of world-class Merlin helicopters provide the Royal Navy with a vital advantage over our adversaries, keeping our carrier strike groups safe and enhancing their battle-winning capability,” said Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP.
“This investment demonstrates our unwavering commitment to maintaining cutting-edge defence capabilities that keep us safe, while utilising defence as an engine for economic growth, supporting 1,000 well-paid jobs across the UK,” Eagle added.
