12. To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters are operational across all three services; and how many are expected to be operational in 2020. (210801)

The number of operational helicopters available to the three services, known as the ‘Forward Fleet’, is 357. Of these, 117 are in the Royal Navy, 154 in the Army Air Corps, and 86 in the Royal Air Force.

It is not possible to predict with any certainty the number of helicopters in the Forward Fleet at 12 years distance. Forward Fleet numbers will fluctuate in response to changes in operational requirements, the equipment programme and depth maintenance schedules.