The EH101 Merlin Mk3 is used by the RAF to move equipment and troops in theatres of operation, whilst the EH101 Merlin Mk1 is used by the Royal Navy for both Anti-Submarine warfare and Anti-Surface warfare.
Announcing the award of a £450 million contract to AgustaWestland, Adam Ingram said:
“Until now MoD has operated separate support systems for the two different types of Merlin aircraft. This was the best approach when introducing both helicopters into service, but not the optimum way to manage support in the long-term.
“This new contract will incentivise industry to increase the availability of Merlin helicopters to the Front Line Commands, while saving the MoD and UK taxpayers around £1bn in support costs over the next 25 years. These arrangements will also sustain up to 1,200 jobs, many of which are at AgustaWestland in Yeovil.
“This through-life approach to supporting operations is a good example of MoD’s recently announced Defence Industrial Strategy in action.”
AgustaWestland will provide an extensive aircraft availability service with a Main Support Base at RNAS Culdrose. Responsibilities will include repair and overhaul, and the management of the complete Merlin supply chain to a defined point of delivery.
The Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) contract was awarded under a non-competitive, partnering contract framework. The IMOS contract is a single 25 year contract, with five year price breaks, to provide through-life support for the MoD EH101 Merlin fleet to its planned out of service date of 2029 (Mk1) / 2030 (Mk3).
The Merlin Mk1 was introduced into service in 1999 and the Mk3 in 2000. Both aircraft have performed to a high standard whilst deployed on recent military operations. The RN Merlin Mk1 is an anti submarine variant of the AgustaWestland EH101 helicopter. The aircraft has a state-of-the-art mission system, which processes data from an extensive array of on-board sensors, giving Merlin an independent capability to search for, locate and attack submarine targets. It is this autonomous capability which makes Merlin unique among Anti Submarine Warfare helicopters. The fleet of 42 aircraft is based at RNAS Culdrose.
