RAF extends Gladiator training support to 2028

The RAF has extended its support contract with Boeing Defence UK for the Gladiator synthetic training environment, securing two further years of development and integration work worth £16.9 million.

The bridging contract runs to 2028 and is intended to preserve a core training capability while the Strategic Defence Review pushes toward more integrated, multi-domain force structures.

Owned by the Ministry of Defence and operated from RAF Waddington, the system combines service personnel, civil servants and industry partners to evolve the platform incrementally. Over the next two years the RAF plans to integrate F-35B, Air Command and Control functions and Typhoon, with further ambitions to bring in E-7 Wedgetail, P-8 Poseidon and Protector during later spirals. Support to the Air Mobility Force and Joint Aviation Command is also being explored.

Group Captain Froome, Senior Responsible Owner for Gladiator in Air Capability, said the extension preserves training effects that would otherwise be hard to sustain. “Gladiator is critical for enabling aircrew and air C2 aviators to train collectively in a realistic, networked environment that replicates the complexity of modern multi-domain operations. This contract allows us to continue to integrate platforms and decision-makers in a synthetic battlespace, that builds interoperability, enhances mission readiness, and ensures crews can operate as a cohesive force under contested conditions.”

The MoD describes the programme as a mechanism for delivering aspects of multi-domain integration without waiting for new platforms to reach full operational maturity. Work is also planned to align Gladiator with the Royal Navy’s SPARTAN collective training environment.

Thom Breckenridge, Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK, framed the extension as both an industrial and operational signal. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Ministry of Defence on this cutting-edge training system. Gladiator represents a step change in capability for the UK, enabling crews and ground forces from all three services, along with allies and partners, to train in a secure and seamless virtual environment. Working with our UK technology suppliers, we’re delivering an open-source solution that meets current and future training needs while supporting over 50 highly skilled jobs across the UK.”