Lockheed Martin to bid for UK New Medium Helicopter

Lockheed Martin has announced that it plans to participate in the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) New Medium Helicopter requirement.

The company confirmed the move at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition. The conference runs between 12–15 September at the ExCel Centre in London.

As part of the requirement, Lockheed Martin will bid for its Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk to replace the UK’s ageing mixed medium helicopter fleet. The company said that it plans to collaborate with UK partners to develop the project.

Alongside the announcement, Lockheed Martin also signed a partnership agreement with maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company StandardAero in support of ‘Team Black Hawk’.

Lockheed Martin confirmed that StandardAero’s Gosport facility will be ‘the home of the Black Hawk in the UK’, and that the company will provide aircraft assembly, testing, delivery, maintenance, and integration services in support of the bid.

The MoD is expected to issue a formal invitation to negotiate (ITN) in the near future.

In addition to being used in a range of military roles, including general transport and medical evacuation (medevac), the Black Hawk is a popular choice for civilian roles such as aerial policing and firefighting. Lockheed Martin signed a contract in December 2022 with the Polish National Police to supply two additional UH-60 helicopters.