The British Royal Family intends to take delivery of two new Leonardo AW139 helicopters by the end of next year, replacing its 15-year-old Sikorsky S-76++ aircraft, according to multiple reports.
Financial documents say the aircraft will be compatible with up to 50 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and procurement is underway for permanent SAF tank to replace a temporary tank already installed at the RAF Odiham helicopter base in Hampshire, U.K.
“The use of helicopters is a key component of delivering engagements,” officials said in a financial report for the Sovereign Grant, a taxpayer-funded settlement that partially funds the monarchy.
Officials said the royal family would not otherwise be able to access remote regions off the U.K. that not “readily served” by fixed-wing aircraft, the national motorway or rail networks, “and where multiple engagements are undertaken in a given day.
“The replacement of these assets in 2024-25 will ensure that this capability is maintained, whilst also maintaining the range of the helicopter flight,” officials said.
Documents show the royals made heavy use of their rotorcraft fleet in the 2023 financial year, making 170 journeys that cost more than £1 million.
In comparison, only 44 chartered fixed-wing flights were reported in the same period.
Rome-based Leonardo would replace U.S.-based Sikorsky as the royals’ preferred rotorcraft provider, apparently ending a decades-long relationship with Sikorsky. In 2007, they selected Sikorsky to supply S-76C++ helicopter as their preferred supplier to replace an older S-76+ aircraft.
There has been limited coverage of the procurement process for the next-generation fleet for The King’s Royal Flight, but Sovereign Grant documents say both new helicopters will be leased. The royals have leased one of their existing Sikorsky helicopters; the other is owned, documents show.
