The UK Ministry of Defence has a £1bn programme for the AW159 Lynx Wildcat, that relies on an upgraded version of the Lynx helicopter. The programme includes an army and a naval version Lynx with a high level of commonality in airframe, cockpit displays and avionics. Previously called the future Lynx, it was renamed AW159 and designated the Lynx Wildcat by the united kingdom military in April 2009.
The AW159 Lynx Wildcat was designed to fulfill the requirement for the British Army's battlefield reconnaissance helicopter (BRH), formerly the battlefield light utility helicopter (BLUH), and also the Royal Navy's surface combatant maritime rotorcraft (SCMR).
The army and navy versions of the AW159 Lynx Wildcat are to have a standard marinised airframe, just like the naval Super Lynx 300 style. the most notable changes in look are the new tail rotor and low-set symmetric tailplane, larger cockpit doors, and a redesigned larger nose and rear fuselage.
