Helicopter deal boosts UK’s investment in military training to £2.8 billion

In April, General Dynamics European Land Systems and Airbus Defence and Space successfully demonstrated the load of a Piranha 5 8 x 8 armoured personnel carrier (APC) into an Airbus A400M cargo aircraft during an evaluation exercise. As part of the drill, the Piranha 5 was driven into the cargo compartment and completely tieddown according the airlift procedures.

The objective was to validate the boarding of a Piranha 5 in the cargo compartment without any special preparation as part of a broader A400M evaluation process, demonstrating the transport capability of combat vehicles.

Acontract worth around £1.1 billion has been awarded to UK industry to supply rotary-wing training to the armed forces. It brings the value of Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with Ascent Flight Training, to deliver the four core elements of future military flying training, to £2.8 billion, and the number of UK jobs sustained to 500.

The £1.1-billion rotary-wing contract, awarded by the MOD to Ascent, will pave the way for the design, delivery and management of a new military helicopter aircrew training service until the early 2030s.

It will see the delivery of Airbus H135 and H145 training aircraft, and install new infrastructure and ground-based equipment at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire to train future aircrew to use aircraft such as Apache, Chinook, Merlin and Wildcat. It will

On May 23, during a flight piloted Lt Colonle Alessandro O., Commander of the 212th Flight Group, the 61st Wing passed the milestone of the first 1,000 hours flown by the T-346 aircraft supplied to the Italian Air Force.

This achievement does not, however, have just a symbolic value. All of the unit’s activity, where flight safety and security are always prime considerations, has achieved concrete results, as during these initial 1,000 flight hours 8 pilots qualified and instructors on the T-346.