LONDON–Red air aggressor service provider Draken Europe has been awarded a new UK contract to provide operational training for the Royal Air Force and Navy.
Under the three-year, £173 million ($215.2 million) Interim Medium Speed Operational Readiness Training Services contract, incumbent provider Draken will provide modified light combat aircraft and business jets for simulated air-to-air, missile and electronic warfare threats. There will also be simulated attacks on warships. Draken will use modified Dassault Falcon 20 business jets, adapted Aero Vodochody L-159 Honey Badger light attack aircraft, and Diamond DA42 light aircraft based at Bournemouth and Teesside airports.
Draken already provided red air services to the air force through the Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service using the L-159. The capability had previously been provided organically using the service’s BAE Systems Hawk T1 jet trainers.
“The training delivered to date—simulating adversary threats while also allowing us to train in a representative and contested electromagnetic environment—has never been more important to ensure the Royal Air Force is ready and able to support NATO and meet the threats of tomorrow,” said Air Vice Marshal Mark Flewin, the officer commanding the service’s 1 Group, which coordinates all of the RAF’s frontline, fast-jet force elements.
“The contract will allow us to continue to evolve the high-end training available for all of our frontline forces as we look to outcompete our potential adversaries,” Flewin added.
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