RAF Puma replacement programme. Developments, updates, etc...

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https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 52.article

Shortlisted bidders for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement
will have to wait until the New Year 2024
for the next stage of the tender process
after yet another schedule slip to the long-running procurement.

Three companies – Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky –
were notified in the autumn of 2022
that they had been cleared for the next stage of the NMH bid process,
the release of the so-called Invitation to Negotiate (ITN).


The release of the ITN, detailing the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) exact requirements for the acquisition,
was initially scheduled for September 2022.
That was then pushed into the first quarter of this year,
then later in the first half,
before being delayed again until late 2023.

However, that deadline has now slipped further;
publication of the ITN is now not expected before late January or early February 2024,
according to multiple sources familiar with the MoD’s schedule.

At the launch of the NMH tender in 2022, the MoD had hoped for first delivery to take place in 2025 or even earlier.

But the latest slippage increases the risk that the first NMH platform will now not arrive until at least 2026 or 2027,
based on typical procurement timelines.

Additional schedule pressure comes from the intention of all three bidders
to establish new production lines in the UK for their helicopters should they win the NMH contest.
A looming general election adds more uncertainty.

The MoD did not respond to questions on the timing of the ITN or delays to the overall schedule.
However, it states:
“Through competitive procurement,
the New Medium Helicopter programme will provide a medium-lift aviation capability to support a wide range of defence tasks
with a single helicopter type to maximise commonality,
improve efficiency and operational flexibility.

“Positive progress is being made towards the next stage of the NMH competition with the three down-selected suppliers.”

But even the scope of the procurement has changed since 2022.

Back then, the MoD said it was seeking “up to 44 platforms”
to replace and rationalise multiple helicopter types across its inventory
for a budget of £900 million to £1.2 billion ($1.1-1.5 billion).

The types up for replacement were led by the Royal Air Force’s
23-strong Puma HC2 fleet,
but also included Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphins flown by the special forces for domestic missions,
plus Bell 212s and 412s operated in Brunei and Cyprus.

However, the MoD announced last month that it planned to buy
six Airbus Helicopters H145 Jupiter HC2s for operation in Brunei and Cyprus –
roles currently being backfilled by Pumas.

That move came on the back of suggestions earlier in the year
that the size of the eventual NMH buy was likely to be in the range of 25-35 airframes.

In the meantime, the retirement date for the Puma fleet has also been moved by up to three years, to 2028.

Airbus Helicopters is offering its H175M for the NMH requirement,
Leonardo Helicopters its AW149,
and Sikorsky the S-70M.

They will be built at sites in Broughton, Yeovil and Gosport , respectively.

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...not many updates so far...

https://rotormedia.com/axnes-chosen-to- ... -platform/
/
https://www.axnes.com/axnes-news/uk-mod ... r-platform

RAF picks Axnes wireless comms for Puma Mk.2
31-Jan-2024

Axnes AS,
is pleased to announce that it has been selected to deliver its cutting-edge PNG Wireless Intercom System (WICS) technology
to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for their Puma HC Mk2 Air System.

The PNG WICS will be utilized to enhance the aircrafts’ communication systems for Search and Rescue (SAR) applications
and Human External Cargo (HEC) missions.

The Axnes PNG system allows the Puma to meet all (UK/European standard requirements) for two-way radio communication for HEC operations.

The contract win entails the provision of a wireless radio communication system to connect and operate with the Puma HC Mk2 Air System Inter-Communication System(ICS).
Each system will consist of a BST35 mobile base station,
which wirelessly connects to a minimum of one deployable MP50 handheld transceiver,
ensuring seamless communication with a range of at least 500 meters.

The Axnes PNG WICS, selected by the UK MOD, is designed to enable wireless communication in and around the Puma helicopters, specifically for rescue swimmers during SAR operations.
The system is equipped with advanced features including full-duplex, hands-free, VOX operation, which allows for easy communication even in extremely high noise environments.
Its robust design ensures reliability and performance in the harshest and most challenging operational conditions.

https://www.key.aero/article/uk-waterin ... more-h145s

4th December 2023

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) intends to award a £140m contract to Airbus Helicopters UK
for the supply of six H145 Jupiter HC2 helicopters –
complete with three years of technical support services –
to replace the ageing Puma HC2 tactical transport helicopters currently used by British Forces Brunei and British Forces Cyprus from 2024.

...it has been rather quiet after November 2023.

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https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/nm ... 68.article

21 February 2024

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)
could be close to issuing its long-delayed invitation to negotiate (ITN)
to contenders for the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement,
Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge indicates.

“It will be published very soon,” Cartlidge told the House of Commons Defence Committee on 21 February 2024.
Pressed further, he adds:
“I am hoping before the end of this month.”

The MoD in 2022 shortlisted a trio of potential bidders
in support of a process primarily intended to replace Puma HC2 transport helicopters operated by the Royal Air Force,
and at that time was expected to issue the ITN later the same year.

Repeated slips to this schedule have frustrated rivals
Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky parent Lockheed Martin,
and seen the Puma fleet edge closer to a planned out of service date in 2025.

Also speaking to the committee,
Chief of Defence Staff (Finance and Military Capability) Lieutenant General Rob Magowan
declined to provide an expected target date for an NMH platform to achieve initial operational capability (IOC),
noting that these factors would be informed by responses to the ITN document.

“We think there is going to be a healthy competition.
As a result of that we will be able to declare how many aircraft we are going to design and build in this country
and when the in-service and IOC dates will be.
We can’t do that until we have run the competition,” he adds.

Referring to the Puma fleet, he notes:
“At the moment we are not planning to run it on past 2025, but we may well need to,”
or face a capability gap until a new type enters use.

The MoD late last year signalled that it could extend its existing in-service support arrangement for the aged type,
in order to enable operations to continue until the end of March 2028.

Rivals for the NMH requirement are
the Airbus Helicopters H175M, Leonardo Helicopters AW149 and the Sikorsky S-70M.

Meanwhile, Cartlidge also told the committee
that the MoD is expecting to make a decision soon
on whether to proceed with or cancel a contract for
14 Boeing CH-47 Extended Range Chinooks, valued at around $1.5 billion.

“There have been issues around cost growth,
and when that happens it is entirely right that we assess these matters,”
Cartlidge says.

“We want to be sure that we get the best possible deal through the FMS [Foreign Military Sales] process,
and that involves constant negotiation,” Magowan adds.
“We think that both on price and FMS evolution that we will be able to make a decision very quickly.”

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...an update of last month:
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/uk- ... tems-exec/

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https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 85.article

16 September 2024

Airbus Helicopters has defended its decision
to pull out of the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contest without submitting a bid,
with one executive hitting out at the size of the budget
and a perceived failure to follow through on social value commitments.

Even says the fleet – which was upgraded last decade by Airbus Helicopters to the HC2 standard – “can continue to fly until 2035” if required.

Only Leonardo and its' AW149 was left as contender by the 1st of September 2024:
https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/31/n ... am-update/
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https://euro-sd.com/2024/08/major-news/ ... ut-of-nmh/

Airbus and Lockheed Martin withdraw from NMH, leaving Leonardo as the sole bidder