£1.1bn deal safeguards RAF Shawbury training jobs
More than 200 jobs will be safeguarded and improvements made to a Shropshire airbase as part of a £1.1 billion contact.The new deal has been awarded to RAF Shawbury to supply rotary wing training to the armed forces.
As part of this new contract, awarded by the Ministry Of Defence, new infrastructure and equipment will be installed at the base to train future aircrew to use aircraft such as Apache, Chinook, Merlin and Wildcat.
Squadron Leader Kim Leach, corporate engagement relations officer at RAF Shawbury, said: "This latest contract is not only good news for defence, but good news for the UK too.
"It will support about 220 jobs across the country, split between RAF Shawbury and RAF Valley.
"The contract will also support a number of sub-contractor jobs in the UK supply chain, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Babcock. In total, the programme is supporting about 500 jobs across the UK."
The MP for North Shropshire, Owen Paterson, said: "I am delighted with the decision to make RAF Shawbury continue predominant military helicopter training for decades to come."
Philip Dunne, minister of state for defence procurement, said: "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.
"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.
"A £2.8 billion defence investment with Ascent in the four core elements of this training system has, and will, bring new aircraft and new facilities to the UK, as well as sustaining around 500 jobs across the country.
"Supported by our rising defence budget, which went up for the first time in six years in March 2016, these contracts will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in military flying training."
The announcement follows February's award of a £1.1 billion contract for fixed wing training, which will prepare future aircrew to fly aircraft such as Atlas, Voyager, Typhoon and Lightning II.
The award means all core training elements are now under contract with a total value of £2.8 billion.
