Awarded for the next 19 years, the contract with Boeing
Defence UK will provide unique synthetic training courses
for RAF personnel who operate the aircraft until 2040 and
will support around 30 UK jobs at the International
Training Centre (ITC) in Farnborough.
Alongside the continued training for pilots on the
interactive C-17 flight simulators, from 2023 RAF trainees
will also benefit from two new pieces of equipment in a
purpose-built facility. Maintainers will be provided with
engineering training so they can diagnose faults and
practice repairs without having to work on the live
aircraft.
This multi-million pound investment is supported by the £24
billion uplift on defence spending over the next four
years, announced by the Prime Minister in November. With a
focus on synthetic training, the contract also builds on
the commitment outlined in the recent Defence Command Paper
and utilises the latest technology to simulate a range of
scenarios and deliver unparalleled training.
Defence Minister said:
Ensuring we have a modernised Armed Forces capable of
tackling future threats begins with access to world-class
training for all of our personnel.
This £274 million investment will allow our air crews to
operate this aircraft to its highest capability and
maintain critical defence outputs and will extend our use
of modern synthetic training techniques.
The C-17 aircraft plays a vital role in transporting
personnel and cargo around the world and to undertake this
activity safely air crews are required to undergo
comprehensive training, best delivered in a synthetic
environment. The simulation training is based on real-life
scenarios in a secure setting, enabling personnel to
experience situations that can’t easily be replicated when
training on live aircraft.
By moving training away from live aircraft, they can be
freed up to deliver outputs essential to defence operations
and also reduces emissions as live flying exercises are no
longer required.
Director Air Support DE&S said:
The new contract will deliver world class training and
associated equipment for RAF personnel operating C-17
over the next 19 years. This will provide those personnel
with the knowledge and skills needed to get the very best
out of the aircraft for UK Defence.
The RAF is leading the way in the use of synthetic training
across defence and is already undertaking approximately 50%
of all Combat Air training on synthetic devices. By 2040,
the RAF expects to conduct 80% of all training
synthetically.
Air Mobility Force Commander, Air Commodore David Manning:
This new synthetic training service will provide assured
aircrew and maintainer training through to the out of
service date of the C-17. The training service will
support C-17 global operations, increasing fleet
availability and enhancing the training delivered to our
personnel through the introduction of cutting-edge
synthetic training equipment.
With this service, the RAF will enter a new phase of UK
optimised C-17 training, while working with our industry
partner to promote UK prosperity and the generation of UK
based jobs.
Recently celebrating 20 years in RAF service, the expected
out-of-service date of the C-17 is 2040, for which this
contract with Boeing Defence UK will see through to the
end.
Forming part of the RAF’s contribution to Integrated Force
2030, the C-17 is capable of carrying large and complex
pieces of equipment, including a Chinook helicopter -
easily transporting over 45,000kg of freight more than
8,300km.
