Deal Expected To Be Formally Announced Next Month At Royal International Air Tattoo Or Farnborough Air Show

Boeing has reportedly won a contract with the U.K. MoD for 50 Apache helicopters valued at about $3 billion.

The contract includes the 50 aircraft and lifetime servicing, according to a report from the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph and relayed by the FX News Call website.

According to the report, Boeing was able to offer a more competitive price for the Apaches by adding the order to a larger one from the U.S. military.

The initial U.K. Apache fleet was produced at the Westland Yeovil plant. Westland is now part of the Leonardo Italian manufacturing conglomerate.

Bloomberg reports that the Yeovil plant will stop producing helicopters in 2017.

But the deal is not finalized. An MoD source said that the Apache program "is currently in its assessment phase and expects to make a decision by Summer 2016.”

The official announcement is expected to come later this year at either the Farnborough Air Show or the Royal International Air Tattoo.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence