Ascent receives $1.6B helicopter training contract

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- A helicopter flight training contract worth about $1.6 billion has been awarded by Britain's Ministry of Defense to Ascent Flight Training.

The award, the second from the MOD for flight training, paves the way for the design, delivery and management of a new military helicopter aircrew training service until the early 2030s.

"This is the final element in re-fashioning the UK Military Flying Training System into a state-of-the-art structure to develop suitably qualified aircrew to secure the future of air elements of our Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force," said Minister for Defense Procurement Philip Dunne. "Our Armed Forces will benefit from consistent, world class training across the board. It will ready them for the next stage of their careers and equip them with the skills they need to deploy on operations around the globe."

Britain in February awarded Ascent -- a joint venture between Babcock International and Lockheed Martin -- a $1.6 billion contract for fixed wing training for future aircrew of Atlas, Voyager, Typhoon and F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The new contract means all core training elements within the country's military flight training program are now provided for.

The helicopter training contract, which runs until 2033, will see the delivery of Airbus H135 and H145 training aircraft and installation of new infrastructure and ground-based equipment at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire for training aircrew.