SIXTY more jobs in South Somerset’s helicopter industry have been secured after a new £269 million deal was signed by the Ministry of Defence.

Leonardo Helicopters, based in Yeovil, will support the manufacturing of a new helicopter-borne surveillance system designed to protect Royal Navy ships, including the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

Marcus Fysh, MP for South Somerset, has welcomed the news, which follows a £271 million deal said to have secured hundreds of jobs in the region.

He said: “Just last week our Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin signed a deal that will protect 400 local jobs. Her announcement will protect 60 more jobs in Yeovil which is great news for our town.

“I will continue to work closely with staff at Leonardo, the Government and other key players to find innovative and commercially viable ways to secure Yeovil’s place at the heart of the aerospace industry and protect jobs for our highly-skilled workforce. This news is evidence of my commitment to getting the best deal for Yeovil.”

The new Crowsnest system will provide long range air, maritime and land detection and tracking capability Royal Navy ships.

Lockheed Martin, as the prime contractor for Crowsnest, will integrate the system onto Merlin Mk2 helicopter fleets.

This work will be supported by Leonardo Helicopters, who will modify the fleet to fit Crowsnest. The contract also includes £9 million for initial provisioning of spares to support the Crowsnest system during training and operational deployment.

The minister, Harriett Baldwin said: “Crowsnest will provide a vital intelligence, surveillance and tracking system for our new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, capable of detecting any potential threats at sea.

“Backed by our rising defence budget, and our £178bn equipment plan, Crowsnest will help keep our forces safe as they deploy in every ocean around the world for decades to come.”

Last week, a five-year deal to deliver a range of support services for the UK’s entire fleet of 62 AW159 Wildcat helicopters was announced by Mrs Baldwin.

The two deals have come after a period of uncertainty for Leonardo after a previous deal with Boeing fell through, and local leaders hope the deal will give a boost to the local economy, including in Chard and Ilminster.

For the full story on last week's £271 million deal, click here.