BAE Systems wins contract to train Australian military pilots

Posted by John McHale
TAMWORTH, Australia, 7 May 2011. Australian Defence Force (ADF) officials selected BAE Systems to provide their pilots with interim basic flying training. The six-year performance-based contract, with six one-year extension options, means BAE Systems Australia will provide flight screening services for about 275 candidates and basic flight training for approximately 150 students each year.
The initial contract will support 135 military and civilian personnel engaged in training ADF pilots at the ADF Basic Flying Training School in Tamworth. BAE Systems recently partnered with Raytheon Australia and Hawker Beechcraft Corp. to provide a complete pilot training system for the ADF under Project AIR5428.
"We are delighted at the prospect of continuing to work with the ADF to provide all the basic pilot training requirements until a new pilot training system is determined," says John Quaife, general manager aviation solutions at BAE Systems.