Airbus has unveiled the first images of a new military helicopter that could be built in Broughton - as more details are revealed on the potential jobs.
The Ministry of Defence plans to retire Airbus Puma HC2 medium helicopter fleet in the middle of this decade and Airbus believes a military variant of the H175 is fully capable of fulfilling the MoD’s needs.
This month Business Live revealed that if they secured a contract the helicopter plant would be built at the wing factory at Broughton - creating hundreds of new jobs.
A source in the aviation sector said it would bring around 400 direct jobs to the site with the opportunity over time for more roles in the local supply chain.
The site has lost around 2,000 jobs over the pandemic - with total staffing numbers going from 6,000 to around 4,000.
Airbus released new images of the military helicopter - and said: “The military H175M can meet the UK’s New Military Helicopter requirement in the coming competition while transforming the country’s helicopter industry - bringing value and prosperity to the UK.”
H175M would be different to the civil helicopter - built at Marignane, France - with significant military customisation.
The main competition for any MoD deal will come from Italian multinational Leonardo and US giant Lockheed Martin, who could put forward the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
