Serco has been awarded two new contracts to supply Serco-designed ‘General Purpose Support Equipment’ to the Royal Air Force and the Spanish Air Force.
The work will be undertaken by Serco’s Design, Integration and Test (DIT) team based at Waterlooville, Hampshire, who have been developing support solutions for Typhoon aircraft since 2005.
The firm said in a news release that their General Purpose Support Equipment (GPSE) is an Automatic Test System (ATS) built and qualified for use in aircraft support environments.
“It was originally conceived as a general-purpose automatic test solution for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy to support more than 130 different assemblies fitted to six different aircraft. Since then, GPSE has replaced nine separate pieces of support equipment with a single box solution, reducing operating costs for the UK Ministry of Defence and other NATO air forces.”
Commenting on the contract extension, Keith Hillas, Interim Managing Director of Serco’s UK defence business, said:
“These new contracts underpin Serco’s growing reputation as a first-class supplier of armament support equipment for modern aircraft. They increase our provision of testing for the Eurofighter and Typhoon fleets across Europe and supports our journey to becoming the favoured supplier of armament support equipment for the Typhoon programme.”
The firm add that the new contract is to provide new versions of the GPSE test sets to refresh the support capabilities for the UK fleet of Typhoon aircraft whilst the new contract with the Spanish Air Force adds Pylon and High Pressure Pure Air Generator (HiPPAG) test functionality to the existing GPSE capability at the Moron and Albacete airbases.
The HiPPAG is a sub-assembly of the two launchers fitted to the Typhoon aircraft, it provides high pressure air to cool infra-red detectors of the missile guidance systems. The HiPPAGs can be tested, either stand-alone or as part of a complete Launcher, to ensure their serviceable status using the GPSE provided by Serco.
Got to wonder why they keep outsourcing these contracts. It makes sense when there is a private sector need also, like cleaning/catering/etc, so you can benefit from economies of scale but when the only likely customer is the MOD, surely there is no benefit to using an outsourcer Vs doing in house.
My thoughts on outsourcing such “essential security” kit are about the security. What next SERCO servicing our nuclear missiles? There’s many areas of cross-over, but it reduces the manpower available to each service every time something is contracted out. Then, what if an adversary heavily invests in these companies, or has people in sensitive areas who are a risk to our security? You only have to see what happens to Micron and the entire IP theft by the Chinese to see it cost the US a lot more than a sanctions hit. They (Micron) worked on a great deal of DoD projects.
Pretty sure they’re involved in faslane in some way already lol
Not outsourcing a service as I read it. Serco are supplying test equipment to the RAF. I would expect RAF technicians to use it.
Isn’t serco a services company. If it’s providing test equipment then it’s buying it from someone else. why not just buy direct. I guess they could have coding expertise to get the equipment working.
Like many companies, Serco does lots of things; cf diversification. The start of the article says “SERCO designed”… it also says they’ve been doing this for the Typhoon since 2005, so presumably doing a good job to get new contracts.
They are also a major Torry donor, so based on recent track record I wouldnt bet too much on the good job or value part.
So you have proof that the civil-servants and officers at the MoD who actually make these decisions are corrupt do you? Or are you just slandering them?
Proof is difficult but we know from various court cases and investigations into public sector contracts, that there has been rampent corruption and no actions. Who knows about this specific contract, but we know from recent past that serco were rewarded with contracts without adequate tender processes or evidence of good value to the tax payer. In the example of track and trace the public enquiry demonstrated that no value was given and it didn’t help at all because they were totally unsuitable.
Ah so you admit to slandering servicemen and civil servants without evidence. Please cite with references these supposed cases where public sector corruption has been proved. Speculation, heresay and rumours out out for political advantage don’t count as evidence. I suspect “we know” is actually, “you and those of the same political opinion want it to be true”.
There has been no public enquiry into Track and Trace. The public enquiry into the pandemic has just begun, and is looking at preparednesses. It will be sometime before it moves onto response.
However the facts show that track and trace system worked, with the U.K. ramping up from a very low testing capability to performing more tests per head of population than any other European country. Of course that didn’t make for attention grabbing headlines, so missteps were trumpeted while successes weren’t reported.
Not true, there as a cross bench committee that reported on track and trace, so yes there has been a public enquiry into it
A cross bench committee is NOT a public enquiry FFS 🤦🏻♂️
That’s basic, if you can’t even get that right 🤷🏻♂️
Of course it it, it’s even classified as that. The whole point of a cross bench committee is they represent the people in bringing the government to account.
No it’s not classified as a public inquiry. Public inquiries are politically independent, set up for a specific purpose, and usually chaired by legal expert such as a retired judge.
Actually there’s no thing as a “cross bench committee” either. There are select committees, made up of MPs. These aren’t/do public inquiries.
Which country are you from? Because you seem to know very little about the UK parliamentary system.
The select committee is majority conservative MPs, debated in public on TV, backed up with national audit office reports. It’s as public as you can get. When you have a loaded committee and still get slaughtered for wasting public money, then heads really should roll.
When you add that to numerous good law project wins over goverment procurement, it’s hard not to join the dots.
A select committee is not a public enquiry, though you’ve been unable to even manage to name the one you’re talking about.
(Glad to see you’ve at least managed to start using the right terminology for it, that’s one thing at least you’ve learned today.)
I see you’ve also backtracked on corruption and now allege waste instead. That’s a charge that will stick with every government because they were dealing with a completely new situation. The precautionary principle dictated you had to act immediately rather than delay for thoroughness. That’s why there’s been fraud identified in all the furlough schemes put in place on the planet, the alternative of waiting to perform rigorous checks would have resulted in mass redundancies.
The Good Law Project is a joke. The majority of its cases it loses or concedes. It’s amazing so many gullible people still crowd fund it’s politically motivated complaints.
😂
I give up on him. A lost cause.
Yes Steve is 🤷🏻♂️
You like picking fights. May I remind you of one TB Liar who as PM stopped a SFO investigation into a Saudi/BaE arms deal not so many years ago. It is common knowledge in the public domain that the system is corrupt, lobbying of politicians on both sides of the Atlantic is common. THAT is part of the MIC modus operandi. And denial is? Well, make your own mind up on that one 🙄
No I just dislike people telling lies and misinforming people, whether they are anti-vax conspiracy theorists or politically motivated activists.
The phrase “it’s common knowledge” is recognised as meaning “there is no proof of this but I’ll claim everyone knows it” to back up my claim. I believe it used to be “common knowledge” that the earth was flat.
Yes a Labour PM blocked a bribery investigation into the BAE/Saudi arms deal. How does that relate to the MOD awarding a contract to Serco?
Different countries, differ companies.
Completely irrelevant.
Ah the good old “MIC”, another misused term, just like how the anti-vaxers talk about “Big Pharma”. 😂
You need to get out more.
I bet get out way more than you do. It’s just when I’m home I do productive things.
Anyway you’re going to get relief from me for a week or so, off on holiday again.
Don’t rush back.
I don’t rush anything.
You should consider the same policy when doing background research before posting comments. That way you might avoid being publicly humiliated again.
Do one you silly little t*at.
Just the kind of monosyllabic lame response I expected from you.
True, I have always thought of SERCO as being a services company yet the article reads as if they are supplying test equipment to the RAF, not supplying testing services.
If they are just a middleman in supplying kit, it would have been better for MoD to buy direct from the manufacturer.
The article says Serco designed the kit, so the MoD would have to buy from them. Buying from whichever a Serco contracted to make manufacture it isn’t an option – it’d be like trying to buy the latest iPhone from Foxcon.
Old engineers who were designers of Typhoon retired and new kids grown on laptops have no clue about hardware and embedded systems. Hence is better to pass a hot potato to private sector, a modern way of managing – more meetings, committees and diluted responsibility.
The only benefit is to the contractors shareholders who become the number 1 priority. Delivering the service is then secondary.
Serco? The serco that started off with refuse collection? The serco that then ended up with prison transfer contracts? The same serco who ended up with contracts to run UK prisons? The same serco who have been awarded government contract after contract, and nausing a lot of them up?
Whats next, shipbuilding… submarines etc etc. I think whoever keeps giving contracts out to these people, should come under intense scrutiny, before anyone lets them test a clothes iron, let alone million pound jets! Shocking and scandalous!!
Not all UK prisons, just 11, but yes they fucked up a few, so much so HMP Birmingham was taken off them and real prison Officers sent in to re-establish the regime, plenty of overtime speaking to some of the blokes. However they do ok with the RN adversary training, support boats (and tugs etc) for the RN and strangely enough, a few PMC contracts in Afghan!
Serco??? I wouldn’t have them clean a toilet block.
SERCO?!! The people who screwed up the Air Cadets glider fleet? They messed up the paperwork for the maintenance certification of the gliders; the Air Cadets couldn’t fly at all for seven years; all the Grob Vigilant motor gliders and half the G103 Viking gliders had to be scrapped. The Air Cadets are having difficulty restarting as all the instructors have left. Serco should stick to cleaning toilets.
Serco, is there another company that has drained the taxpayer of as much money?
NHS!!!!
There are many private companies including Serco that drain the NHS of public money, yes.
The NHS is excellent at draining itself of taxpayers money!
You blasphemer you… 😂
Oops 😂👍
No, they are a shambolic mess with fingers in far too many pies.
Many on here would cite BAE…
All Tory led corruption – CEO of Serco, Nicholas Soames
Grandson of Sir Winston Churchill. Serco made a bimb from the Covid pandemic but failed miserably but still made substantial profit
Of interest, Leonardo facility in Edinburgh the worlds first automated aircraft radar testing and calibration rig.
World first radar test breakthrough created by Leonardo – Aerospace Manufacturing (aero-mag.com)
It’s about syphoning off public money to the private companies that CONservative MP’s have a hand in.
Another ther self serving act by the Tories.
I see the German naval frigate F218 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is in Portsmouth harbour today.
Hello Matrose’?
Hi FT. No I’ve never served. Just an enthusiast & concerned watcher. I regularly watch Portsmouth HMS Warrior harbour cam for what warships are in harbour, but enjoy the evening starlings on the rigging as much !
Can anyone remember the huge building firm, who had more government contracts than anyone, and went bust? Same people now doling out contracts to serco?
Carrilion.
Thank you, Paul… that’s the one. Serco the new Carillion??