£200m to train new Top Guns

THE cost of the Military Flying Training System has more than doubled in the past five years to almost £200million despite the service deteriorating, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Last month then defence minister Alec Shelbrooke said that the amount of taxpayers’ cash spent on the MFTS contract leapt from £75.3million in 2017/18 to £196.2million last year.

It has raised concerns that the initiative with defence giants Lockheed Martin and Babock International is not giving value for money.

Last month Defence Secretary Ben Wallace ordered an inspection of the system after nearly 350 trainee pilots were left awaiting training. An MoD spokesman said investment had risen as the MFTS contract grew ‘to include more aircraft types and infrastructure.’