Heli Operations

What Heli Operations does

HeliOperations is a UK-based specialist helicopter aviation services company that delivers military and civilian pilot training, aircraft management, maintenance, and operational support. Founded in 2007 by former Royal Navy helicopter pilot Steve Gladstone (via Developing Assets (UK) Ltd), it operates from three UK sites — Portland heliport (Dorset, headquarters and AW139 base), a 3,000+ sqm engineering and storage facility at Somerton (Somerset, MAA Part 145 approved), and the Sea King Mission Simulator at RNAS Culdrose (Cornwall). Core assets include a six-axis full-motion Sea King simulator with Night Vision Device visuals, 16 former Royal Navy/RAF Sea King helicopters, an AW139 fleet being expanded to six aircraft, and a CAA-licensed heliport that doubles as a CAP 3145 Approved UAS Test Site. Customers include the German Ministry of Defence (£141M, seven-year NH90 training programme), the UK Ministry of Defence (£41M Royal Navy FHSU contract), the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Empire Test Pilots' School, and commercial/super yacht operators. Revenue is generated primarily through long-term government training contracts, line and base maintenance services, helideck certification, NVIS training, and bespoke aircraft management, delivered via direct enterprise sales and formal defence procurement channels. The company holds dual UK CAA and Military Aviation Authority approvals (including CAA-approved AW139 NVIS operations and Part 145 maintenance), and is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS9100/9110, Cyber Essentials, and IS-BAO standards.

Name

Heli Operations

Legal name

Developing Assets (UK) Ltd

Website

https://helioperations.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HeliOperations is a UK-based helicopter aviation services company delivering military pilot training, aircraft maintenance, and operational support from three UK sites to defence ministries, naval air forces, and superyacht operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military Helicopter Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190), Airport Operations (48811)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)

akta.pro primary industry

Naval Training, Simulation & Shore-Based Support Systems (IMABAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rotorcraft Mission Systems (EO/IR, Radar, EW) Integration (IMABABAI), UAS Payloads (EO/IR, LiDAR, SAR, SIGINT) & Gimbals (IMABAIAI)

Keywords

• Helicopter training services
• Military aviation training
• Search and rescue training
• Night vision imaging training
• Helicopter maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fortuneswell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Military Training Contracts: Long-term government contracts providing helicopter training to military forces. Includes the £141M German Navy contract (7-year) for NH90 Sea Lion/Sea Tiger pilot training and £41M Fleet Helicopter Support Unit contract for Royal Navy. Covers theoretical instruction, simulator sessions, and practical live flight training.
2. Helicopter Maintenance Services: Comprehensive maintenance services including line maintenance, base maintenance, and military Part 145 approved maintenance at Somerton facility. Includes maintenance for Sea King and AW139 helicopters.
3. Aircraft Management and Operations: End-to-end management for private and commercial helicopter operations including aircraft selection, registration, compliance, pilot training, crew management, and maintenance oversight. Services extend to superyacht aviation management.
4. Helideck Certification and Compliance: Independent helideck certification, inspection, auditing and compliance services for vessels and offshore platforms worldwide. Includes operations manuals, training, and temporary or permanent crew provision.
5. NVIS Training Services: EASA Standard NVIS qualification training for civil and military customers using own simulator and aircraft. Includes overseas organic training using non-ITAR restricted NVIS equipment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HeliOperations provides helicopter training (Search and Rescue, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Night Vision Imaging System operations, deck landing, maritime mission training) on Sea King full-motion simulators and AW139 aircraft. It also delivers end-to-end helicopter management, line and base maintenance (Part 145), helideck certification/inspection, and aircraft operations support for military forces, government ministries, superyacht operators and commercial aviation clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drone Certification Agency (DCA): Sister company dedicated to supporting the testing, evaluation and certification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), operating from the CAA-licensed heliport on the Isle of Portland within a CAP 3145 Approved UAS Test Site.

Products and services

• Search and Rescue (SAR) Helicopter Training Search and Rescue pilot and aircrew training delivered using Sea King helicopters and AW139 aircraft at the Portland base, covering maritime SAR scenarios, day and night operations including NVIS.
• Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) Operations and Training EASA Standard NVIS qualification training using a state-of-the-art full-motion NVIS-equipped simulator at RNAS Culdrose plus live NVIS flying training on company-owned Sea King helicopters (for civil and military customers); overseas organic training using non-ITAR-restricted NVIS equipment is also provided.
• Helicopter Maintenance Services (Part 145) Comprehensive maintenance services for Sea King and AW139 helicopters — line maintenance, base maintenance, and UK MAA Part 145 military-approved maintenance at the Somerton facility in Somerset.
• Aircraft Management and Operations End-to-end management for private and commercial helicopter operations: aircraft selection, registration, compliance, pilot training, crew management and maintenance oversight — including superyacht aviation management for HNW/UHNW owners and charter companies.
• Helideck Certification and Compliance Services Independent helideck certification, inspection, auditing and compliance services for vessels and offshore platforms worldwide, including operations manuals, training, and temporary or permanent crew provision.
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission Training Bespoke ASW training (e.g., six-week course for Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3 Orion students at HeliOperations Cornwall facility) delivered by former Royal Navy ASW instructors using full-motion Sea King simulator and live aircraft.
• Medical, Point of Injury and Medevac Support Medical, Point of Injury and Medevac support services provided to a range of helicopter operations, leveraging HeliOperations' SAR and rotary-wing operations experience.
• Drone Certification Agency (DCA) — UAS Testing, Evaluation and Certification Wholly-owned subsidiary providing a controlled aviation environment for UAS testing, evaluation and certification under CAA CAP 3145 Approved UAS Test Site arrangements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% track record of safe, reliable and cost effective service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and significant.

• Leonardo HelicopterscoreTechnology or Integration · 19 November 2025Formal partnership for AW139 helicopter fleet expansion. Contract signing at European Rotors Show confirmed purchase of two additional AW139 aircraft bringing total fleet to six. Leonardo is a key strategic partner for aircraft supply and support.
• HMS Heron Field Gun TeamminorOthers · 19 September 2025HeliOperations sponsors the HMS Heron Field Gun team representing Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton. Sponsorship supports team competing in annual Field Gun Competition dating back to 1907.
• Portland United FCminorOthers · 16 September 2025Sponsor of Portland United FC U18s football squad. Company hosted team visit ahead of FA Youth Cup match, demonstrating community engagement and support for local youth development.
• Lobo LeasingsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2023Entered into letter of intent to lease one Pipistrel Nuuva V300 hVTOL unmanned cargo aircraft with option for three additional units. HeliOperations intends to offer the aircraft to its network of military customers for replenishment of naval vessels at sea and commercial maritime sector applications including offshore wind farm support.
• Helliar Pest ControlminorOthersLocal pest control company providing bird and pest control services at the Osprey Quay hangar. Harris Hawk named 'Blue' regularly visits to provide bird control, managing pigeons and seagulls.
• Dorset Fire ServiceminorOthersCollaborative emergency planning exercises conducted at Portland facility. Simulated aircraft incidents to rehearse procedures and improve collective response capability.
• Portland Sea CadetsminorOthersCommunity support initiative providing laptop donation to support cadet training programme. Demonstration of commitment to local community development.
• Yeovil College University CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Yeovil College University Centre for aviation engineering apprenticeship programme. Apprentices receive degree in aerospace engineering while gaining hands-on engineering experience, blending theory with practical skills from sheet-metal fabrication to composite construction.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Castle Air: UK-based helicopter operator offering charter, management, training and maintenance services. Direct competitor in the UK civil helicopter management and training space, including superyacht and corporate clients.
• Cobham Aviation Services: Provides specialised aviation services including military training, SAR and mission systems support. Direct peer in delivering contracted rotary-wing training and operations support to defence ministries in Australia, the UK and allied nations.

Broad incumbents

• Vector Aerospace (now StandardAero): Major helicopter MRO provider with military and civil approvals, including former work with HeliOperations on painting services. Comparable on helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities including Part 145-equivalent work.
• FlightSafety International: Major commercial and military flight training organisation operating full-motion simulators worldwide. Overlaps with HeliOperations on rotary-wing training, NVIS and synthetic training, although focused more broadly across commercial and business aviation.
• Bristow Group: Large helicopter operator providing SAR and offshore services to government and commercial customers globally, including UK SAR. Comparable to HeliOperations in rotary-wing services for military and government, though with much larger fleet and broader geographic footprint.
• CHC Helicopter: One of the world's largest helicopter operators serving offshore, SAR and government markets. Already a HeliOperations customer (S92 NVIS training in Ireland), making it both a comparable rotary-wing services provider and a live commercial relationship.
• CAE: Global leader in aviation training and simulation, including helicopter mission simulators for military customers. Comparable to HeliOperations in providing synthetic training devices and instructor services, but at much larger scale and across fixed-wing, rotary-wing and UAS.
• Leonardo Helicopters (training division): OEM of the AW139 platform and a HeliOperations strategic partner (Nov 2025 contract). Comparable as a vertically integrated helicopter training provider, but with far greater scale and the ability to bundle training with platform sales to military customers.

Others

• HeliOffshore: Industry association of offshore helicopter operators focused on safety and operational standards. Comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor; useful proxy for understanding HeliOperations' addressable offshore/defence helicopter market.

Regional players

• SaxonAir: UK-based business aviation operator providing charter, management, FBO and helicopter services from Norwich. Comparable to HeliOperations on UK-based managed helicopter services for high-net-worth and corporate clients, though more focused on fixed-wing charter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helioperations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heli Operations