New training facilities for new RAF transport planes

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Source: UK.Gov - MOD

RAF pilots and ground crew who will operate the new A400M Atlas transport aircraft are to benefit from state-of-the-art training facilities thanks to a new multi-million pound contract.

The Ministry of Defence is investing £226 million in a specialist training school at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire where the fleet of transport aircraft will be based.

It will house 2 full flight simulators to train RAF pilots, a specialist workstation to train loadmasters, a cockpit simulator to train engineers and a suite of computer-based training equipment.

The MOD is buying 22 A400M Atlas transport aircraft to replace the RAF’s fleet of C-130 Hercules, with the first aircraft entering service in late 2014.

Able to carry twice as much as the Hercules, the A400M Atlas can transport 32 tonnes of cargo over a range of 4,500 kilometres, providing unprecedented capability to support the UK Armed Forces.