Speaking at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT),
Sir has announced two
contracts worth almost £120 million.
The deals will sustain 330 British jobs and help the RAF to
continue to perform at its best by improving training for fast
jet pilots and making sure the Hercules C-130J aircraft can
continue to support the UK’s Armed Forces around the world.
The Defence Secretary Sir , said:
These contracts demonstrate our commitment to supporting the
UK’s air power, through maintaining battle proven aircraft and
training the next generation of fast jet pilots.
This substantial investment will ensure our Air Force can
continue to perform at its very best. Backed by our rising
defence budget and £178 billion equipment plan, these contracts
will sustain high skilled jobs in Britain and > ensure that
our Armed Forces have the best equipment and training available
to keep the UK safe.
The first contract, worth £110 million, is with British company
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group. It will replace the centre
wing box for the RAF’s Hercules C-130J aircraft and will sustain
330 jobs in Cambridge, contributing to the 5,100 UK jobs Marshall
already support in the region.
This replacement will extend the Hercules C-130J aircraft’s out
of service date to 2035, making sure this essential aircraft can
continue to transport personnel and equipment around the world,
having previously supported defence and humanitarian relief
efforts in Iraq, Nepal and South Sudan.
The MOD has also signed a £9.5 million contract with QinetiQ to
provide Typhoon pilots trained at RAF Waddington with the latest
cockpit technology to prepare them for front line combat.
With the nature of global conflict ever evolving, it’s vital that
the Armed Forces are trained effectively to deal with a variety
of scenarios. This technical update to RAF Waddington’s training
equipment will give Typhoon crews based at the station’s Air
Battlespace Training Centre 10 weeks of simulated battle training
a year.
The trainee aircrew will be exposed to state-of-the-art,
simulated battlefield situations and the training facilitators
can develop scenarios, provide mission management support and
post mission debriefs, ensuring the crews will be best prepared
for deployment.
It will also allow instructors at RAF Waddington to connect to
Typhoon training devices at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby,
guaranteeing fast jet pilots based across the UK access to the
latest cockpit and simulated training technology.
