Somerset secures presidential chopper deal

[29 January 2005]

A British company that builds helicopters designed in the UK has secured a contract to build the new fleet used by the US President.

AugustaWestland, a UK/Italian company, beat off tough competition from the US firm Sikorsky to secure the lucrative $6 billion (£3.2bn) deal.

Blades for the 23 new helicopters for the Marine One fleet will now be built at the Westland factory in Yeovil, Somerset.
Work on the contract is expected to begin immediately at the plant - which employs 4,000 workers- and will run up to 2009.
The contract comes after the US Navy announced it would be replacing the ageing fleet of helicopters that are used to transport American presidents to and from the White House.

Around two thirds of the new models will be built in the US, with contracts for the rest split between the UK and Italy.

Augusta Westland forms part of the transatlantic consortium that won the deal, led by Maryland-based firm Lockheed Martin.

The contract attracted international attention after British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi personally pressed President George W. Bush to consider Lockheed's British-Italian design.

The US Navy insisted on Friday that officials had received no guidance from the White House over the bid, except to "pick the best value choice for the mission."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: "We are delighted that the US authorities have selected the US-101 as the best helicopter to meet this important requirement."

"Although this will be a US-produced helicopter - Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor - it is based on a proven European, AgustaWestland design bringing benefits to the US and the UK."