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BAE SYSTEMS-led consortium to market RAF ground training

08 Jun 2001

The BAE Systems-led Horizon consortium is the marketing partner in a new relationship between the Royal Air Force and the commercial sector. Other members include GKN Westland, Rolls-Royce, PERA marketing consultancy plus Bournemouth & Poole College.

Horizon will work closely with the Royal Air Force to market spare capacity in the Training Group Defence Agency’s ground training units at RAF Cosford, RAF Cranwell, RAF Halton and RAF St. Athan, and also within Headquarters Strike Command’s maintenance training establishments and movements schools.

A significant and growing worldwide demand for aerospace specialists such as aircraft technicians means that demand is expected from the general commercial sector and current and future RAF contractors. Another potential market is management leadership training.

The Royal Air Force has a reputation for delivering training of a high quality that is universally recognised and Horizon believes that this will be attractive to a wide range of customers. It predicts that sales over the first five years of the arrangement will exceed 18 million, with around 11 million of that revenue going to the Royal Air Force. Operations are expected to begin in autumn this year.

Air Vice Marshal Ian Corbitt is Air Officer Commanding Training Group and Chief Executive of the Training Group Defence Agency. He comments: ‘The training expertise and facilities of the Royal Air Force, combined with the marketing skills of Horizon, will allow high-quality and cost-effective training to be offered to organisations within both the defence and commercial sectors.’

Ian King, Group Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Customer Solutions & Support business, said: ‘We and our commercial partners are delighted to be selected for this Public Private Partnership which demonstrates the closer links being forged between the MOD and industry. The arrangement shows that BAE Systems is serious about training, it will strengthen our relationship with the RAF and provide exciting opportunities for training people in high-technology aerospace-related skills.’

BAE Systems is the truly global systems, defence and aerospace company. BAE Systems employs more than 100,000 people around the world and has annual sales of some 12 billion. The company offers an unrivalled global capability in air, sea, land and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills. BAE Systems designs and manufactures civil and military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems and a range of other defence products.

In a separate training development, BAE Systems’ Customer Solutions & Support business took over training at the RAF Valley Hawk ground school on June 1. The activity will be managed by staff at the company’s existing Private Finance Initiative Hawk Synthetic Training Facility (HSTF), although it is a separate manpower services contract. The HSTF began providing simulated flight training for Hawk students when the first device came on line in June 1999.

Ground school training for ab-initio and refresher students on the Hawk includes classroom tuition in aerodynamics, air warfare, meteorology; outdoor survival training and initial familiarisation with the Hawk cockpit using the Hawk Cockpit Procedures Trainer, one of the devices in the HSTF.

The HSTF is currently achieving greater than 99.7 per cent availability despite higher than expected usage.