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Half-bln-dollar contract signed to help train British pilots for combat

Xinhua, March 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Contracts worth 527 million U.S. dollars have been signed to support a fleet of jets used to train pilots for the world's most sophisticated war planes, the ministry of defense announced Monday. The four contracts will secure 700 ground jobs until 2020, the ministry said.

The fleet of Hawk TMk1 and TMk2 aircraft are used by British armed forces for military flight training prior to conversion to frontline fast jet aircraft, such as Typhoon or the future F35 Lightning II.

The Hawks, the planes of choice used by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's (RAF) famous air show aerobics, are also used for a variety of other Royal Navy and RAF training requirements.

A ministry spokesman in London said: "The five-year support contracts will play a crucial role in providing a range of services to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force's Hawk aircraft at bases around the country."

Defense minister Philip Dunne said: "The Hawk is a world-class training aircraft for our future fast jet aircrew. Pilots currently flying Typhoons and Tornados with such precision targeting Daesh (Islamic State) in Iraq and Syria to keep Britain safe first learnt their skills in the Hawk. It will also be used to train the pilots that will fly our new F-35s, some of the most advanced aircraft in the world."

"The contracts to support these vital training aircraft are a boost to British industry, sustaining hundreds of jobs across Britain, all made possible by our growing defense budget and our 178-billion-pound investment (254 billion U.S. dollars) in buying and maintaining the best possible kit for our Armed Forces."

A 112-million-U.S.-dollar contract has also been placed with Rolls-Royce to provide support for the 'Adour' engines which power the Hawk aircraft, with testing, repairs and overhauls taking place at RAF Valley and in Filton, Bristol.

Sue Gray, director at the defense ministry's procurement and support organization, said: "Our partners, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, will provide through-life support to ensure our future fast jet pilots have the right equipment to conduct their flying training." Endit