The contract to provide new aircraft for the training of British fixed-wing military pilots has now been placed with Affinity Flying Training Services. It will provide 23 Grob G120TPs for elementary flying training (EFT); 10 Beechcraft T-6C Texans for basic flying training (BFT); and five Embraer Phenom 100 twinjets for multi-engine pilot training (MEPT). Affinity is a joint venture between Elbit Systems and Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) Government Services. It was selected as the preferred bidder for these tasks more than a year ago by Ascent Flight Training.

Ascent is another commercial joint venture (between Lockheed Martin and Babcock), that won a controversial 25-year outsourcing deal for the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) in 2008. Ascent has redesigned the course structures, courseware and ground infrastructure for the entire MFTS and retains responsibility for its overall management. But the procurement, operation and maintenance of the EFT, BFT and MEPT aircraft has been further outsourced to Affinity, in a subcontract worth an estimated £500 million ($720 million), which Elbit and KBR will share equally. Affinity has promised “a step-change in aircraft turn-around and scheduling to support optimized aircrew training hours.”

The UK Ministry of Defence said that the total new investment would be £1.1 billion (about $1.6 billion). The balance will go to Ascent for the provision of the flying instructors, simulators and other infrastructure. Ascent claims that its “uniquely innovative approach” to military flying training will produce “significant cost savings.” The new Grobs for EPT will be introduced next year, followed by the Phenoms for MEPT in 2018 and the Texans for BFT in early 2019.

Ascent already provides the fast jet and rear crew training for the UK MFTS. It is expected to select another subcontractor to provide new helicopters for rotary-wing flying training soon. The competitors are Airbus Helicopters offering the H135 and H145, and FB Heliservices (a subsidiary of Cobham Aviation Services) offering Finmeccanica (AgustaWestland) helicopters.