£48 million Apache training contract announced

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced a six-year Apache helicopter training contract, alongside new measures to meet global information and cyber threats.

Attending the annual Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Land Warfare Conference, Fallon said that the investment in Apache air and ground crew will support around 70 jobs in Dorset, Hampshire and Suffolk with Aviation Training International Ltd (ATIL).

Approximately 700 Army personnel will go through the training scheme per year, including around 50 pilots and 400 ground crew.

The Defence Secretary also announced new measures to meet global information and cyber threats by bolstering and reorganising the Army’s Royal Corps of Signals and Intelligence Corps.

Fallon said: “This £48 million contract will support UK jobs and provide world-class Apache training for our personnel. The Apache is a vital part of the British Army’s fighting force that is helping to keep this county safe. We are also preparing our forces for the battlefields of tomorrow in an era of complex global challenges by ensuring our formidable Signals and Intelligence Corps are ready for the information warfare of the 21st century. This investment is only possible thanks to a rising defence budget and a drive for efficiency and innovation which will help our Armed Forces stay at the cutting edge.”

The Land Warfare Conference is the annual forum for Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, to discuss the global challenges facing land forces.