Britain to upgrade military pilot training with $400 million package

MILAN — Plagued by retention challenges, the United Kingdom has committed fresh funds to increasing the number of trainees within the Royal Air Force and Navy who can train in new facilities and with novel capabilities.

The scale-up will be enabled by the allocation of a £300 million ($401 million) contract by DE&S, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defense, to U.K.-based company Ascent Flight Training.

Such an investment will result in a four-fold increase in mission aircrew trainees to 140 per year and equip them with the skills to operate a wide range of aircraft, according to an MoD statement.

The recruits will be taught in new buildings at the Royal Naval Air Station in Culdrose and the Royal Air Force Station near Cranwell using new technology geared towards reducing flight hours and carbon footprint.

The equipment will be delivered by a mix of U.S. and British providers, including Lockheed Martin which will supply state-of-the-art mission simulated environments. Draken International will support the upgraded fleet of Textron King Air 350E Avenger aircraft and the London-based Babcock International Group will build two of the new training complexes.

Such a contract is part of the Future ISTAR and Rear Crew Training System, or FIRCTS, a program implemented by the UK MoD to modernize current training systems for mission aircrew and enhance training capability.

“Once training is complete, mission aircrew will be qualified to operate the latest applicable innovations on platforms such as Merlin Mk2 and Wildcat helicopters, Poseidon MRA1 aircraft, Rivet Join and remotely piloted systems such as the Protector RG Mk1,” the DE&S release said.

The first trainees are expected to be able to use the new training system beginning in 2027.

While the British Armed Forces have been experiencing recruitment challenges for some time, officials have said that some branches are now doing better than others at retaining numbers.

Last month, a report from the UK Defence Journal noted that the Chief of Defence Staff Adm. Sir Tony Radakin informed Members of Parliament that the military was declining at a monthly rate “of about 200 to 300,” but that the Navy has “stabilized” and the Air Force remains “reasonably stable.”

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——由于面临人员流失的挑战，英国已投入新的资金，以增加皇家空军和海军中能够在新的设施中接受新能力训练的学员人数。

国防部采购部门 DE&S 将向英国公司 Ascent Flight Training 授予一份价值 3 亿英镑（4.01 亿美元）的合同，这将使规模扩大成为可能。

英国国防部在一份声明中表示，这样的投资将使任务机组人员受训人数增加四倍，达到每年 140 人，并使他们具备操作各种飞机的技能。

新兵将在库尔德罗斯皇家海军航空站和克兰韦尔附近的皇家空军基地的新建筑中接受训练，这些建筑将采用旨在减少飞行时间和碳排放的新技术。

这批设备将由美国和英国的多家供应商共同交付，其中包括洛克希德·马丁公司，该公司将提供最先进的任务模拟环境。德拉肯国际公司将为升级后的德事隆空中国王350E复仇者飞机机队提供支持，而总部位于伦敦的巴布科克国际集团将建造两座新的训练中心。

此类合同是未来情报、监视、目标获取和后方机组训练系统（FIRCTS）的一部分，FIRCTS 是英国国防部实施的一项计划，旨在使当前任务机组人员的训练系统现代化，并提高训练能力。

“一旦训练完成，任务机组人员将有资格在诸如 Merlin Mk2 和 Wildcat 直升机、Poseidon MRA1 飞机、Rivet Join 以及 Protector RG Mk1 等遥控驾驶系统等平台上操作最新的适用创新技术，”国防装备与保障局 (DE&S) 的新闻稿称。

预计首批学员将于 2027 年开始使用新的培训系统。

虽然英国武装部队一段时间以来一直面临征兵挑战，但官员们表示，目前一些军种在留住人员方面做得比其他军种要好。

上个月，《英国国防杂志》的一篇报道指出，国防参谋长托尼·拉达金海军上将向议员们通报说，军队人数每月减少“约 200 至 300 人”，但海军已经“稳定”，空军也保持“相对稳定”。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。