AgustaWestland’s plant in Yeovil has been selected by the Royal Navy to manufacture missiles for its helicopters. Up to £90 million worth of future anti-surface guided weapons (FASGW) manufactured at the Somerset facility will be tested and installed on 28 Wildcat helicopters by 2020.

The announcement was made at the Farnborough Airshow by Defence Minister Philip Dunne. He said: “FASGW ‘state of the art’ missiles will provide Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters with unparalleled strike capabilities. I take great pride in the fact that these missiles are being made in Britain by British experts.”