In February this year, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with KBR-Elbit Systems for the procurement and support of five Embraer Phenom 100 jets to train Royal Air Force and Royal Navy air crew until 2033.
The training provided to Royal Air Force aircrew is evolving, through a shift towards contractor provided training and increasing use of simulators to supplement flying time.
The aircraft currently in use are approaching the end of their working lives. In order to fund new aircraft the training system is being outsourced to the private sector, over a 25 year Private Finance Initiative valued at £6 billion.
The consortium running the new UK Military Flying Training System is a partnership between Lockheed Martin and Babcock International, is known as Ascent Flight Training. The current generation training aircraft will be replaced over the next few years:
The replacement aircraft include 10 Beechcraft Texan T-6C aircraft, 23 Grob G120TP Prefect turboprops along with five Embraer Phenom 100 jets to train Royal Air Force and Royal Navy air crew. The deal runs until 2033.
Images of @RoyalAirForce new @embraer #Phenom have appeared online #MFTS pic.twitter.com/93K8qj5Fl3
— Tony Osborne (@Rotorfocus) August 14, 2016
The Phenom 100 aircraft will be based at RAF Cranwell.
What a disaster BAe has been for the British Aerospace industry, destroying proud names like Hawker and Avro with its deals with Airbus (agreeing not to compete in civil aircraft) and failure to produce any new British airframes in 20 years. Everything is now being imported with the loss of a technological lead and an industrial base.