Ascent Flight Training1 has achieved the final milestone of its £200 million UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) Fixed Wing 1B contract, following the delivery of several new aircraft simulators based on the Textron T-6C aircraft platform. The three-year construction programme has delivered buildings and infrastructure, ground based training equipment and information technology systems for the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Mott MacDonald is lenders’ technical advisor on the project, working on behalf of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale and Credit Agricole CIB.
The UKMFTS Fixed Wing 1B Project is being delivered under a 17-year contract that covers the delivery and support of ground-based training equipment, IT and all associated buildings and infrastructure needed to train the UK military’s fixed wing pilots. The Project supports ground based elementary, basic, and multi-engine aircrew courses plus rear crew courses, based on Grob 120TP, Embraer Phenom 100 and Textron T-6C aircraft.
Mott MacDonald has been involved with the UKMFTS programme since 2007, when it supported the pre-financial close phase of the UKMFTS advanced jet training project, where the company performed technical and commercial due diligence. Following this, the consultancy was then appointed to support the UKMFTS Fixed Wing 1B Project and performed due diligence to successfully support financial close. Since then, Mott MacDonald has been monitoring the construction programme and issuing milestone payment certificates, as well as providing independent scrutiny and risk assessments for assurance of proposed changes. The company will continue to provide operational monitoring and assurance of both the UKMFTS fixed wing and advanced jet training programmes.
David Townsend, Mott MacDonald's project principal, said: "We are proud to continue our long-standing involvement in the UKMFTS programme. The project is a success story and is equivalent to delivering Europe’s largest flying training school from scratch in a very short timeframe. We look forward to helping to support the continued success of UKMFTS.”
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1. Ascent Flight Training Limited is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Babcock.
