Posted: 20th May, 2026
A revised contract to provide the Royal Navy’s Fleet Helicopter Support Unit service means a new contractor and a new aircraft type is now supporting the Fleet.
HeliOperations based at Portland Dorset last year was awarded the contract to deliver the Fleet Helicopter Support Unit service using the Leonardo AW139, which is due to formally commence on 1 August 2026. The contract will utilise two modern AW139s able to carry up to 11 passengers.
With the legacy contract ceasing on 31 Mar 26, there was a potential four-month capability gap. With its well-found reputation for agility and innovation, HeliOperations in collaboration with the DE&S Mulit-Helicopter Project Delivery Team and Navy Command built a proposal to provide selected capabilities as an interim service.
That interim service has now gone live, with AW139 helicopters operating on the Civil Register providing initial support to essential training at the RN School of Flightdeck Operations at RNAS Culdrose and aviation support to Fleet Operational Standards & Training (FOST) activities along the south coast.
Working at pace, the joint HeliOperations/MoD project team were able to deliver the necessary framework, personnel and equipment while gaining the relevant approvals, brokering the commercial aspects and developing the various sortie profiles in a very challenging timescale. This has been achieved through a highly collaborative approach between HeliOperations and the MoD, which will enable all stakeholders to gain valuable initial experience to inform the start of the formal military registered service in the summer.