UKMFTS £6bn Contract won by VT and LM
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UKMFTS £6bn Contract won by VT and LM
Don't believe all you read in the papers, maybe except this one!
In the Business section of the Daily Telgraph today.
VT consortium wins £6bn MoD training contract
By Russell Hotten
Last Updated: 12:16am GMT 30/11/2006
The Ministry of Defence is understood to have given a £6bn contract to privatise the military's entire flight training operations to a consortium led by VT Group, the support services company, and Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant.
An announcement about the much-anticipated 25-year contract, the biggest awarded by the MoD for some time, is due to be made today.
The deal involves training aircrew across the RAF and Royal Navy, including pilots for jets, helicopters, and transport aircraft. The contract also includes work on weapons systems training.
The news will be a big disappointment for the rival consortia, which for almost three years competed strongly for one of the most lucrative contracts under the MoD's plans to out-source many of the military's support services.
Some of the biggest names in defence were involved in the bidding, including France's Thales, and Boeing and Northrop Grumman in America. One source said the bid process "will have cost companies millions upon millions of pounds".
Some sections of the military initially opposed the privatisation, fearing a reduction in standards. Under the contract VT and Lockheed will have to halve the time it takes to train pilots to about two years and meet cost-reduction targets.
For Lockheed, the deal helps cement its position as a supplier to the MoD, but for VT the contract marks an important step away from its traditional shipbuilding operations to becoming a services company.
The 26 Hawk advanced training jets recently bought by the MoD from BAE Systems for £450m will be used for many of the new training operations. Today's announcement may also include plans to cut back UK training bases. The winning consortium will take over training from next April.
helidriver
In the Business section of the Daily Telgraph today.
VT consortium wins £6bn MoD training contract
By Russell Hotten
Last Updated: 12:16am GMT 30/11/2006
The Ministry of Defence is understood to have given a £6bn contract to privatise the military's entire flight training operations to a consortium led by VT Group, the support services company, and Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant.
An announcement about the much-anticipated 25-year contract, the biggest awarded by the MoD for some time, is due to be made today.
The deal involves training aircrew across the RAF and Royal Navy, including pilots for jets, helicopters, and transport aircraft. The contract also includes work on weapons systems training.
The news will be a big disappointment for the rival consortia, which for almost three years competed strongly for one of the most lucrative contracts under the MoD's plans to out-source many of the military's support services.
Some of the biggest names in defence were involved in the bidding, including France's Thales, and Boeing and Northrop Grumman in America. One source said the bid process "will have cost companies millions upon millions of pounds".
Some sections of the military initially opposed the privatisation, fearing a reduction in standards. Under the contract VT and Lockheed will have to halve the time it takes to train pilots to about two years and meet cost-reduction targets.
For Lockheed, the deal helps cement its position as a supplier to the MoD, but for VT the contract marks an important step away from its traditional shipbuilding operations to becoming a services company.
The 26 Hawk advanced training jets recently bought by the MoD from BAE Systems for £450m will be used for many of the new training operations. Today's announcement may also include plans to cut back UK training bases. The winning consortium will take over training from next April.
helidriver
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Civilianisation!
The military has been going down the road of civilianisation for many years, not just in training circles but also in frontline maintenance programmes. Soon even RAF catering will be fully civilianised and the Catering Branch will have disappeared - if it has not done so already.
I have no doubt that training standards will be maintained in the RAF, but by whom? Will Examining Wing retain its current identity? Will we still have Squadron QFIs? Who will set the standards?
And if we assume that the "QFIs" at the civilian training schools will all come from a military background, ie from redundant military QFIs, what happens when we no longer have any "redundant" QFIs? Who will train the trainers to the standard necessary to produce military pilots?
Perhaps we are getting close to the time when the next war will be fought in the nearest amusement arcade - or was Duncan Sandys, all those years ago, right?!!
I have no doubt that training standards will be maintained in the RAF, but by whom? Will Examining Wing retain its current identity? Will we still have Squadron QFIs? Who will set the standards?
And if we assume that the "QFIs" at the civilian training schools will all come from a military background, ie from redundant military QFIs, what happens when we no longer have any "redundant" QFIs? Who will train the trainers to the standard necessary to produce military pilots?
Perhaps we are getting close to the time when the next war will be fought in the nearest amusement arcade - or was Duncan Sandys, all those years ago, right?!!
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The 26 Hawk advanced training jets recently bought by the MoD from BAE Systems for £450m will be used for many of the new training operations. Today's announcement may also include plans to cut back UK training bases. The winning consortium will take over training from next April.
argh....
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One has to wonder how long it will be before the whole business of national defence and fighting wars is contracted out to civilian organisations - just as it once was in the past and as actually happens in many parts of the world today. A couple of new parliamentary Acts would sort out the legal side of things so that civvies didn't get done for murder in the event of a conflict and then one could choose an off-the-shelf defence package to suit the threat or personal political ambitions. When the objectives have been achieved, the contract is terminated until the next time. The best thing from a government's point of view is that it could sue the (nasty mercenary) organisation if it lost the war for them.
We could always dream that they contract MP's out.
Just think of the potential savings:
Lean them - 300 instead of 600+
1 car between 3 and not 2 each
Less perks for family members aka 'office staff'
Less perks for the overpaid wasters
Removal of 'cheap' accomodation just like FMQs
Proper PAYD and not the taxpayer subsidised canteen
Reduction in 10 week summer break
Pay Motor Mileage at 22.1
Make them book accomodation through CHBS
Make them claim reduced allowances on JPA
Make all air travel on C-130K
Make all MT requests through an RAF Station style MT office
I can hear them scream NO from here.
Just think of the potential savings:
Lean them - 300 instead of 600+
1 car between 3 and not 2 each
Less perks for family members aka 'office staff'
Less perks for the overpaid wasters
Removal of 'cheap' accomodation just like FMQs
Proper PAYD and not the taxpayer subsidised canteen
Reduction in 10 week summer break
Pay Motor Mileage at 22.1
Make them book accomodation through CHBS
Make them claim reduced allowances on JPA
Make all air travel on C-130K
Make all MT requests through an RAF Station style MT office
I can hear them scream NO from here.
Oh no, LM involved in another contract. I'm fed up with waiting for a black and white frisbee jet to provide control only to be told "we're all broken". LM promised to have an extra jet available each day in their widely publicised servicing contract - still I guess 1 times 0 is 0! 
