The UK Ministry of Defence has committed £300 million ($402.4 million) to enhance the flight training capabilities of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for modern operational scenarios.
The investment has been awarded to Bristol-based Ascent Flight Training and includes the development of new facilities and the integration of advanced synthetic and mission simulation systems. These upgrades will allow land-based training on a broad range of aircraft platforms.
The initiative aims to quadruple the number of trained crews annually, targeting approximately 140 personnel per year.
Training will be conducted using Future Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and Rear Crew Training System simulators. The project will be implemented at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose and RAF Cranwell, with infrastructure development led by Ascent’s parent company, Babcock, under a separate £70 million ($93.8 million) contract.
