"Significant investment" to train Royal Navy and RAF pilots for HMS Prince of Wales as £300m contract secured
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High-skilled pilots in the UK armed forces are being supported under a new training deal.
Royal Navy and RAF air crews will have their flight training significantly improved after a new £300m contract was signed. Ascent Flight Training will be scaled drastically, so 140 Mission Aircrew trainees can be supported a year.
Minister for defence procurement, Maria Eagle, said: “This significant investment represents important progress in preparing our Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel for the challenges of modern warfare.
“Not only will this state-of-the-art training ensure our Armed Forces remain at the forefront of military readiness, but it also delivers on our Plan for Change by creating high-quality jobs and strengthening local economies.”
The training will prepare trainees for the demands of modern worldwide operating environments and equipping them with the skills to operate a large variety of aircraft. This will include capabilities utilised on the Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth.
F-35B fighter jets and Navy helicopters are playing a vital role throughout Operation Highmast, where the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) is bound for the Indo-Pacific region. Rear crew personnel at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose and Royal Air Force (RAF) Cranwell will be trained in new buildings, using advanced technology and in a safe, cost-effective manner that reduces both flying hours and carbon footprint.
Around 68 highly skilled workers will also be hired or retained for the duration of the eight-year contract up to 2033 and £180m spent in the British supply chain with investments in Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Bristol. Using new state-of-the-art realistic synthetic and mission simulated environments, new training facilities and equipment, the contract for the Future ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) and Rear Crew Training System (FIRCTS) programme will be delivered by Ascent and key suppliers.
Two new state-of-the-art training facilities will be produced by Babcock International, with synthetic and mission simulated environments provided by Lockheed Martin providing greater scope for live-flying.
Draken will provide support for 750 Naval Air Squadron’s upgraded King Air Avenger training aircraft which act as ‘flying classrooms’ to give would-be observers – responsible for navigation, sensors and weapons systems – real-world instruction.
Once aircrew have completed their basic training, training, they will go on to learn how to operate the systems and weaponry on specific aircraft types, such as Merlin Mk2 and Wildcat helicopters, RAF Poseidon MRA1 aircraft, surveillance aircraft Rivet Joint, and remotely-piloted air systems such as the Protector RG Mk1.
The Royal Navy’s Captain Polly Hatchard, a team leader for UK Military Flying Training System (known as UKMFTS), said: “This new flight training contract is a significant step forward for the UK’s defence capabilities, ensuring that personnel have access to world-class training resources.
“The contract reinforces our commitment to providing the highest level of readiness and operational effectiveness whilst creating new jobs across the UK and investing in regional economies.
“FIRCTS is a capability which will ensure the United Kingdom is at the forefront of providing world-class air power operational capability. Today’s air systems require aircrew who can exploit the electro-magnetic spectrum and assist in decision-making as we seek to outpace adversaries in complex battlespace.”