This direct threat is the result of growing frustration over delays by the UK government in granting a contract for new military helicopters, despite the company having exclusive rights to the project for a year and a half. Leonardo's CEO, Roberto Cingolani, sent a letter to UK Defence Minister John Healey, describing the £1 billion 'New Medium Helicopter' (NMH) contract as a 'cornerstone'. In a stark warning that has shaken the UK's industrial and military landscape, the Italian defense giant Leonardo threatened to withdraw all its investments from the UK, announcing that its vital factory in Somerset is on the brink of closure.
