Leonardo’s site in Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters, has been an aerospace hub for more than 100 years, since the Westland Aircraft Works was established in 1915. The factory was originally built to construct aircraft to support the First World War effort, with the first to roll off the line, a Short 184 seaplane, leaving the site on 1 January 1916 by horse and cart.

Helicopters have been designed, built and tested at Yeovil for nearly 80 years and Leonardo’s facility is now the UK’s only end-to-end rotary wing manufacturer. During this time, more than 3,300 helicopters have been built and many of these have been exported worldwide. 500 UK-made Leonardo helicopters are currently operated by 34 customers in 23 countries.

Closer to home, more than 50% of the UK Armed Forces’ frontline fleet started life in Yeovil. Leonardo continues to work alongside the Royal Navy and British Army to provide Integrated Operational Support for the Merlin AW101 and Wildcat AW159. The company is also collaborating with the UK Ministry of Defence to define the future of Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air Systems and Air-Launched Effects.

With a diverse workforce of 3,000+ aviation experts on-site and a UK-wide helicopters supply chain, Leonardo stands ready to deliver a UK-made AW149 for the country’s New Medium Helicopter requirement.

Transport links

Yeovil has some excellent road and rail links, and is within an hour’s drive of Exeter and South Wales, a two-hour drive of Heathrow Airport and Birmingham, and 2.5 hours from central London. There are also frequent daily trains to Exeter, Bristol and London Waterloo (2.25 hour journey). The town is also served by four international airports – Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth and Cardiff – within an hour’s drive.

What the local region offers

One of the great benefits of life in Yeovil is the wealth of attractions and activities that are available nearby.

In the centre of Yeovil is the Quedam Shopping Centre, as well as a ten-screen cinema and bowling alley for entertainment. There are also plenty of restaurants, bars and pubs in the area, with the range of cuisine varying from Italian to Thai and Indian.

Yeovil is set close to the countryside and is within very close distance to plenty of National Trust locations, including Montacute House, Stourhead and Barrington. It is also a few miles from the historic town of Glastonbury, home of myths, legends and the world famous music festival.

Within a 40-minute drive of Yeovil is the Jurassic coast, which is home to a wide selection of beautiful sandy beaches, from Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door to Weymouth and Lyme Regis. It also has close rail links which can get you to Bristol and Bath in under an hour and a half.

Yeovil contact details

Lysander Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2YB
Tel: +44 (0)1935 475222
Fax: +44 (0)1935 702132