Two AW139 helicopters based from Portland will provide personnel transfer, logistics, and training support from Spring 2026, replacing Bristow Helicopters’ Newquay-based Dauphin.
The £41 million contract award to UK company HeliOperations was announced on Aug. 8, 2025. 15 new jobs are expected to be created through the contract, while it will also help to sustain 80 current roles. HeliOperations will use the Leonardo AW139 for the contract – long-tipped as the most suitable successor airframe, regardless of operator.
Mark Langrill, Director Air Rotary & Uncrewed Air Systems at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), said: “We are delighted to award this contract to HeliOperations. The agreement will provide the Royal Navy with modern, reliable helicopter support, whilst supporting skilled jobs and economic growth in South-West England, reinforcing our commitment to working with small, high-end British enterprises that deliver for our Armed Forces.”
Initial operating capability is expected from Spring 2026 following a transition period. Should built-in contract extensions be exercised, the deal could last until 2036. The official press release states that the new helicopter type will offer increased operational capabilities over the existing service.
Based in Dorset, UK, at the location of the former Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Portland, HeliOperations has rapidly become a major player in helicopter contracting services. Using Westland Sea King HU5 helicopters formerly operated by 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose the company has delivered years of search and rescue (SAR) training to Sea King crews from the German Navy.
RNAS Culdrose’s Sea King flight simulator was also acquired by the company, and has been used to support the training of German and Norwegian pilots, as well as pilots completing courses with the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS).
A handful of the companies’ airworthy Sea Kings, which remain on the military register, were transferred to the Ukrainian Navy beginning in 2022, but HeliOperations were able to draw upon the large number of surplus Sea King airframes in the UK to retain the strength of its fleet.
Strengthening the companies’ role in providing military-focused helicopter services, HeliOperations will now assume the responsibility of supporting Royal Navy operations in the south west region and beyond from industry giant Bristow Helicopters. Bristow inherited the Fleet Helicopter Support Unit (FHSU) contract from British International Helicopters (BIH), who had provided two AS365N2 Dauphin helicopters (on the military register as ZJ164 and ZJ165) for FHSU for many years.
At present, only ZJ165 remains active with Bristow, flying from a hangar at Newquay Airport in Cornwall. As well as being a familiar sight supporting personnel and equipment transfers for Fleet Operational Sea Training (FOST) – formerly Flag Officer Sea Training – based from Devonport, Plymouth, the Dauphin is regularly seen at RNAS Culdrose acting as a surrogate for military helicopters over the airfield’s ‘dummy deck’. The dummy deck is an area of hard standing used by the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations (RNSFDO) to approximate the deck of a ship at sea, allowing the Royal Navy to train its personnel with aircraft deck handling skills using both retired real airframes and F-35B replicas.
Until recently, RNSFDO maintained a fleet of operational Sea Harrier airframes for taxi use only in order to more realistically simulate a working deck environment, but these have now been withdrawn from use. Now, the only working aircraft available to support this deck training is the aforementioned Dauphin as well as the based Merlin HM2 helicopters. Presumably, the new AW139s will become regular visitors in the same way, perhaps also with an eye towards using the helicopters to transfer visitors to and from the base’s Sea King simulator.
Dauphin helicopter operated on behalf of FOST practices deck landings at RNAS Culdrose dummy deck facility pic.twitter.com/wuHZ4qkIXN
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) March 21, 2015
While Portland is further from some of the contracts’ primary operating areas than Newquay, a new helipad was opened at HMNB Devonport in 2020 for use by the FHSU which allows helicopters to essentially forward deploy each day as required. The facility includes a refueling capability and removes the need for a relatively lengthy land journey from Devonport to the nearest suitable landing site.
Day to day operations for FHSU regularly see the helicopters transferring passengers between shore and ships in the Plymouth Bay exercise areas. This includes both FOST staff as well as visiting military and civilian dignitaries. FOST is a world-renowned training programme which regularly sees overseas naval vessels take part alongside the Royal Navy’s own ships. The Royal Navy receives remuneration from these overseas forces in return for its services.
Though operational throughout the working week, FOST is particularly well known for its ‘Thursday War’ battle and damage control exercises. These, and other exercises, are supported by military air assets as well as contracted aggressor aircraft from Draken Europe.
New Hangar
HeliOperations acquired their first AW139 in 2022 to support its SAR training activities. Based on renderings released by the company, the firm plans to expand its fleet to at least three AW139s. Two aircraft, G-GSAR and G-YSAR, are presently registered to parent company Developing Assets (UK) Ltd.
To assist with operating a larger fleet, HeliOperations broke ground on a brand new hangar at Portland in June 2025, including administration spaces and training facilities. Computer renderings depict the hangar with an integrated air traffic control tower as well as a modern flight simulator.
The new building is adjacent to the firm’s present hangar, so offers a massive expansion in capacity at the small Portland site. A number of existing parking spots, as well as a secondary touchdown and liftoff (TLOF) area will be withdrawn to accommodate the new hangar, but the site’s 755ft helicopter-only runway will remain operational for air traffic.
Delighted to support our friends from the USAF as they refuelled at our heliport facility yesterday. @HQUSAFEAFAF #HeliOperations pic.twitter.com/ssKPoaBIgl
— HeliOperations (@HeliOperations) August 7, 2020
With its location in the busy south west region, and proximity to training facilities in Portland Harbour and in the wider county of Dorset, the helicopter base receives regular visits from military aircraft of multiple nationalities for rest stops and refueling.
