QinetiQ and Thales select Scorpion Jet for ASDOT bid

QinetiQ, Thales and Textron AirLand have announced a collaboration that will bid for the UK Ministry of Defence’s upcoming Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) programme. The three companies’ CEOs met at Farnborough International Airshow to announce the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) setting the foundation for the bid.

The operational training activities that will comprise the ASDOT programme are currently fulfilled by a number of providers, both military and civilian. This team will propose an innovative, cost effective, technologically advanced reliable managed ser- vice using the Textron AirLand Scorpion jet equipped with Thales and QinetiQ sensors to provide a broad spectrum of training for all three armed services.

The competitive contract, expected to be awarded in September 2018 with a service delivery start in January 2020, is anticipated to be worth up to £1.2 billion over 15 years.