UK Military Flying Training System

The current Ascent contract provides for 23 Prefect basic trainers, 10 Texan advanced trainers and 5 Phenom 100 jets, although aircraft numbers for the new contract are much lower than the current numbers operating - for instance, nearly 40 Tutors and 7 Beechcraft King Airs provided EFT and Multi-Engine training before the implementation of MFTS, with much of the deficit being covered by synthetic training in simulators and procedural trainers.[1] Ascent's role is to utilise more modern aircraft and training to deliver aircrew at the standard necessary to train onto modern, 4.5 and 5th generation fast jets and other front-line aircraft, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and Airbus A400M Atlas, as legacy systems often produced a capability gap between training and the frontline because of the outdated nature of the equipment. The Ascent aircraft will all be equipped with digital systems and glass-cockpit displays for compatibility.

Elementary Flying Training

• No. 57 Squadron (RAF Cranwell) – Grob Prefect T1
• No. 674 Squadron AAC (RAF Barkston Heath) – Grob Prefect T1
• 703 Naval Air Squadron (RAF Barkston Heath) – Grob Prefect T1

Basic Fast Jet Training

• No. 72 Squadron, RAF Valley – Beechcraft Texan T1

Advanced Fast Jet Training

• No. 4 Squadron (RAF Valley) – BAE Hawk T2
• No. 25 Squadron (RAF Valley) – BAE Hawk T2

Multi-Engine Training (including Rear Crew training)

• No. 45 Squadron (RAF Cranwell) – Embraer Phenom T1

Rotary Wing Training (including Rear Crew training)

• No. 60 Squadron (RAF Shawbury) – Airbus Juno HT1
• No. 202 Squadron (RAF Valley) – Airbus Jupiter HT1
• No. 660 Squadron AAC (RAF Shawbury) – Airbus Juno HT1
• No. 670 Squadron AAC (RAF Shawbury) – Airbus Juno HT1
• 705 Naval Air Squadron (RAF Shawbury) – Airbus Juno HT1

Contractually, the Directorate of Flight Training of No. 22 Group RAF (DFT) is the user, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is the customer and Ascent Flight Training is the service provider.[2] Organisationally, the RAF's DFT is in charge of:[3]

• Headquarters Central Flying School at RAF Cranwell
• No. 1 Flying Training School at RAF Shawbury
• No. 3 Flying Training School at RAF Cranwell
• No. 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley

In October 1996 a contract was placed with FBS, a company formed between Flight Refuelling Aviation, Bristows Helicopters Ltd and Serco. This 15-year contract not only covered the engineering and supply aspects already in place, but also included the provision of the 35 Squirrel HT1 and Griffin HT1 helicopters for the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury. In practice, FBS now sub-contracts the support of the DHFS and RAF Shawbury to FB Heli Services (formerly FR Aviation Services) thus maintaining the partnership between the company and RAF Shawbury forged over the 5 years previous to that contract. Also included in the contract was the provision of 40% of the helicopter instructors, Operations Support staff and Flight Systems Operators in the Central Air Traffic Control School.[25]

One of the school's Squirrels

The UKMFTS training helicopters acquisition program had been shelved by mid 2012, but a four-year extension was granted to the FB Heliservices contract to run the DHFS at RAF Shawbury. FB Heliservices, which had already run DHFS for 15 years, was a joint venture between Cobham and Bristow Helicopters.[26]

In 2013, Ascent proposed modified versions of the bids originally provided by the two contestants for the requirement: AgustaWestland and Alphar (a Eurocopter, FB Heliservices and CAE consortium). The contract was for a ten-year interim period rather than the full life of the MFTS PFI. [27]

The Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation announced, in September 2014, that six companies had been invited to bid on the new Rotary Wing Training Programme (RWTP) that will replace the old Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) out-sourcing contract, in place since 1997. The MoD anticipated selecting the winning bid in 2016, with the new service becoming operational in 2018.[28][29][30]

In 2016, Ascent Flight Training selected Airbus Helicopters to supply 32 helicopters to train Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force rotary aircrew in a £500m contract out to 2033. Airbus will provide 29 H135 airframes, to be known as Juno HT1 in service, and 3 H145 airframes, known as Jupiter HT1. Due to the reduced requirement for Search and Rescue training following the privatisation of SAR provision, only 3 larger H145 aircraft are to be procured. The fleet is entirely twin-engine, replacing the single engine Squirrel HT.1 in service, as nearly all helicopters now operated by the UK military are twin-engined, apart from the Army Gazelle AH.1, which is due for retirement. Full training capability was expected by 1 April 2018, the RAF's 100th anniversary, to operate from RAF Shawbury and AAC Middle Wallop. Ascent expects to train 286 tri-service aircrew a year.[31] In 2020 was ordered 4 more H145[32][33]

The MoD required an Advanced Jet Trainer for pre-operational training of fast-jet pilots. It was then being carried out using the BAE Systems Hawk, which would need to be replaced in the tactical weapons training role from 2010 onwards. The full range of skills required for aircrew to fly front-line aircraft could not then be gained using the Hawk, so more training on operational aircraft had to be undertaken. The introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon and the future Joint Combat Aircraft exacerbated this training gap such that the required standard for Typhoon aircrew was not achievable with the Hawk.[34]

The Advanced Jet Trainer was to be the fast jet element of the UKMFTS programme, with a modern glass cockpit environment, modern avionics, front-line sensor simulation and weapons and a flexible and upgradeable mission system. The requirement included support, infrastructure and a ground based training environment. It was envisaged that it could eventually be subsumed within the main UKMTS.[34]

The £1bn deal to supply up 31 BAE Systems Hawks was said to be at risk in early 2003 because the MoD wanted to compare the BAE Systems bid with the Italian Aermacchi M-346. [35] The MoD had wanted a leasing deal under the private finance initiative (PFI), to transfer risk to the contractor rather than buy aircraft outright, with at least 11,000 flying hours a year being required. The upfront costs of developing and building the new aircraft, while waiting for lease payments, were not favoured by BAE Systems, and the first PFI proposal that was submitted in March 2003 was considered too expensive by the Treasury.[36]

By April 2003, UK ministers had rejected calls for full-scale international competition against manufacturers of the M-346 and the T-50 Golden Eagle. The future of the Brough site would have been in serious doubt had BAE Systems lost the contract. Although the Hawk had been designed in the 1970s, BAE Systems offers an updated version with advanced avionics plus an upgraded Rolls-Royce engine.[36]

An M-346 at Farnborough Airshow in 2010

Gordon Brown tried to intervene but was over-ruled by Tony Blair in a dispute against Geoff Hoon. Brown had wanted to reduce costs by putting the contract out to competitive tender, but jobs and export orders were considered more important. The purchase cost of the 44 aircraft was expected to be around £800 million. The original proposal envisaged BAE Systems providing both the new training system and the Hawk 128 jets in a PFI arrangement. But the BAE Systems package was judged unaffordable by the Treasury. The remainder of UKMFTS contract, estimated to be worth about £9 billion at the time, would therefore be opened up to competition as a separate contract.[37][38] Ministerial Direction was given to conventionally procure 20 Hawk 128s from BAE Systems, with an option for a further 24 on 30 Jul 2003.[13][39] The decision is reported to have saved at least 470 BAE Systems jobs at Brough in east Yorkshire.[40]

A£31m contract was placed with BAE Systems to cover risk reduction activities to October 2003. [13] In November 2004, approval was given for a combined assessment & development phase at up to £196m and completion by August 2008, with the assessment phase element being approximately £75m. [13] The MoD awarded a Design and Development Contract to BAE Systems on 22 December 2004. The Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft was expected to cost approximately £3.5 billion throughout 20-year lifetime.[41]

Hawk T2 of the Royal Air Force (2009)

According to the National Audit Office: in August 2006, approval was reached for a figure of up to £497m with an estimated 80% confidence level of achieving this. This approval set the aircraft build standard, definition of in-service date, key system requirements and aircraft numbers.[13][42]

The RAF began receiving the first Hawk T2s in 2009, as the start of the long term replacement for the ageing T1.[43] Hawk T2[44] Advanced jet training was to be carried out at RAF Valley.[20] Training operations on the Hawk T2 began in April 2012.[45]