Sixty-two aircraft will be initially procured, 34 for the British Army and 28 for the Royal Navy.
With a common design, sensor and weapon capability, Future Lynx will be optimised for either the maritime or battlefield environments, with the versatility and flexibility to be able to be rapidly switched from one role to another.
The aircraft will have a multi-role capability able to perform a range of tasks including battlefield reconnaissance, maritime surface attack and utility lift tasks.
The UK Ministry of Defence also intends to sign a contract within the next few weeks with AgustaWestland that will pull forward Future Lynx program technologies to provide a rapid upgrade of 12 British Army Lynx AH Mk.9 aircraft with CTS800-4N engines to significantly improve the performance of these aircraft in hot and high operating conditions.
The first four of the 12 aircraft will be delivered in late 2009 and the remaining eight will be delivered in 2010.
The CTS800-4N engines and associated equipment will be pulled forward from the Future Lynx program.
The new engines produce 37 per cent more power than the current Gem engines that are fitted to the Lynx AH Mk.9 giving the aircraft a significant increase in power which will allow the aircraft to operate in extreme hot and high conditions.