Leonardo makes case for AW149 as RAF Puma replacement


Leonardo plans to offer the AW149 to meet the U.K. Puma recap program. Jamie Hunter Photo

Leonardo Helicopters (U.K.) is pushing ahead with plans to offer its AW149 medium multi-role helicopter for the British Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) emerging New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement. This is expected to be a competition with the central aim of replacing the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) fleet of 23 Airbus Puma HC2 support helicopters from 2025. The RAF marked the 50th anniversary of the Puma’s service this July, and NMH is being driven by the type’s out-of-service date in the middle of this decade.

The acquisition is expected to facilitate rationalization within the U.K. MoD’s rotary-wing fleets, with British Army Agusta-Bell AB212s operated in Brunei, Agusta-Bell AB412s at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and Airbus AS365N3 Dauphins that support British Special Forces, all likely to be replaced by the NMH. The Integrated Review’s Defence Command Paper, issued by the MoD on March 22, 2021, laid out plans for “investment in a new medium lift helicopter in the mid-2020s [that] will enable a consolidation of the Army’s disparate fleet of medium lift helicopters from four platform types to one; including the replacement of Puma.” The Pumas and the AB412s are operated by the RAF but funded under Army budget lines within Joint Helicopter Command, and the fleet rationalization targets commonality, reduced parts counts, and simplified logistics.

“This is not just about a Puma replacement, the direction of travel has always been about the rationalization of types,” Mike Morrisroe, Head of UK Campaigns for Leonardo Helicopters told Vertical during a visit to the company’s Yeovil production site in the U.K. “Our test pilots have flown these roles,” said Morrisroe, adding that the company is developing a baseline AW149 configuration that can then be tailored to the different requirements with role fit kits. “We’ve looked at typical mission profiles; what these [four types] do today and what they might do in the future. It reinforces in our minds that the AW149 sits in a really sweet spot — that one aircraft can fulfill the four future roles.”

“The key task is about lift and being able to operate into and out of confined areas, with maximum weights and volumes,” Morrisroe explained, underlining the AW149’s impressive power and low speed handling. The rationalization of the four types under NMH will mean one type will need to be versatile enough to operate in extremes of climate, with underslung loads, fast-roping, potential for external weapons, and other mission sets — all underpinned by a strong baseline lift capability, but with scope to flex into a range of other roles.

NMH is part of the U.K. Rotary Wing Strategy, with Leonardo Helicopters (UK) proposing to manufacture AW149s for this requirement in Yeovil. In a media release it said: “The AW149 fits the bill as a cost-effective, proven, single-type multi-mission medium role helicopter. Leonardo has an active AW149 supply chain and is therefore able to deliver ‘military off-the-shelf’ aircraft in less than 24 months, prior to the current Puma 2025 out of service date.” Across the four types to be replaced, Leonardo estimates the requirement at between 35 and 40 helicopters, although one-for-one replacement may not be realized.

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The AW149 common platform demonstrator is powered by twin Safran Aneto-1Ks, one of two certified engine options. Jamie Hunter Photo

The U.K. prosperity agenda will be a key pillar in Leonardo’s campaign to secure the NMH business when it is officially launched by the MoD. Morrisroe says the company will be able to deliver AW149s from Yeovil with a lead time of less than 24 months, and that this is a “key part of the proposition.” Not only would the NMH aircraft be established in the U.K., but it says NMH would open up future export potential for the AW149. “The conservative view is this could be in excess of 500 aircraft from early-mid this decade out to 2038/2040, with MoD as a reference customer,” explained Morrisroe, adding that he anticipates the “U.K. content” of the AW149s could be in the order of 60 to 70 percent in terms of value, based on a very clear understanding of equipment required.

Leonardo says its plan would be to expand upon the existing Italian AW149 production effort with a new line to establish the helicopters for the U.K., with the type becoming the next production asset for the Yeovil site — set up to meet the U.K. MoD requirement, and potential export customers. Leonardo supports 7,500 jobs in the U.K., with 3,000 of those at Yeovil.

The AW149 demonstrator in currently in the U.K. performing demonstration flights linked to the NMH requirement. Jamie Hunter Photo

The 8.6-tonne MTOW AW149 was launched on June 22, 2006, and the first prototype flew at Leonardo’s Vergiate, Italy, plant on Nov. 13, 2009. The type received military certification in 2014, with the Royal Thai Army secured as launch customer in 2016. The AW149 has also been ordered by the Egyptian Navy for a range of missions including troop transport; re-supply/external load lift; medical and casualty evacuation; search-and-rescue (SAR) and combat search-and-rescue (CSAR); special forces operations; close air support/armed escort; command and control (C2); and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

In respect of the U.K. NMH requirement, the AW149 is smaller than the Puma in terms of rotor diameter, maximum height, and maximum length, and therefore able to service the same urban and confined areas. “It’s got high tail rotor clearance, and that means you can approach at steep angles,” said Tom Grant, the AW149 U.K. project product lead, adding that the 149 has good ground clearance in unprepared terrain, but a low center of gravity and floor sill height.

The cabin is 11.2 cubic meters, compared with 12 cubic meters in the Puma, but Grant said the cabin offers more useable space with a flat floor and flat ceiling, and it is the same width as the AW101 Merlin. The AW149 can carry up to 16 fully-equipped troops, or a mix of troops and equipment, including as many as six stretchers across the cabin, dependent on configuration, which is accessed via 1.6-meter-wide rearward-sliding doors. A stowage bay behind the main cabin affords an extra 2.4 cubic meters of total volume, and this is accessible in flight in certain configurations with the auxiliary fuel tank removed.

Leonardo says the AW149 features a “low workload cockpit.” Jamie Hunter Photo

The AW149 comes with two certified engine options, both with FADEC and a dedicated auxiliary power unit. Grant says both engines offer good hot-and-high performance, with the twin Safran Aneto-1Ks recommended for extremely high conditions, offering 2,500 shp apiece. Above 6,500 feet [1,980 meters], Grant says the Safran engines give the AW149 more useful load than the type’s 10-tonne competitors.

The option of twin General Electric CT7-2E1 2,000 shp engines trades high power for fuel economy, which Grant says is “ideal when hot-and-high is a niche and the operator wants to prioritize range and endurance.” The GE engines allow the AW149 to fly for around five hours, or 500 nautical miles (925 kilometers), depending on configuration. Both engines offer commonality with other British military types, with the CT7 being a variant of the engine that powers the AH-64E Guardian, while the Safran engine is an evolution of the RTM 322 in the AW101 Merlin.

The AW149 comes with an impressive specification list suited to its military applications, including pressure refueling, and fuel system that is always within center of gravity limits, ballistic protection, self-sealing fuel tanks, internal and external night vision goggle compatibility, a full suite of self-protection aids including missile, radar, and laser warning receivers, all managed via an electronic warfare control panel.

The AW149 demonstrator returns to Yeovil after a local flight. Jamie Hunter Photo

Leonardo says the AW149 features a “low workload cockpit,” with all of its sensor options integrated through a central mission computer. “What’s unique to Leonardo Helicopters is our ability to flexibly upgrade the architecture,” Grant explains. “Unlike some of our competitors, we have the design authority ability to spiral develop the avionics of this platform.” It means Leonardo can upgrade in-house, rather than having to turn to third party vendors.”

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Mike Morrisroe added: “Historically, we’ve put cockpits into aircraft and been dependant on third parties when we want to spiral develop to add capability. The software behind the glass is now all in-house, and that enables us to rapidly spiral develop software, which is a bit of a differentiator.”

Leonardo test pilots and a flight test engineer with the AW149 demonstrator. Jamie Hunter Photo

The AW149 faces stiff competition when it comes to NMH, with the Airbus Helicopters H215M having direct lineage with the current Puma. The larger H225M Super Puma is another potential offering, or even the new H160M. It’s not currently clear what Bell could offer, with its 525 in the early stages of development. The Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk, built in Poland, is a popular option within military circles and is expected to be offered.

A clear advantage for the Leonardo Helicopters AW149 is that it fits with the U.K. support-to-exports prosperity agenda laid out by the government, with Yeovil having a strong voice within political circles. The helicopter itself possesses an impressive menu of options and capabilities. Morrisroe says that Leonardo is ready to move on NMH, but a procurement strategy, procurement timeline, and requirements are still awaited. He says the company is waiting with “bated-breath” for the MoD to kick-off the competition.

  
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