20-Year $1.65 Billion Contract for Flight Training Centre
Further to its announcement in January (reported on MON on 5 January Greece and Israel Approve Extensive Defence Agreement – Mönch Verlagsgesellschaft mbH (monch.com), Elbit Systems confirmed on 18 April that it has been awarded a contract, valued at approximately $1.65 billion (€1.38 billion) to establish and operate an International Flight Training Centre for the Hellenic Air Force. The 20-year contract includes provisions for price indexation.
The company is to supply new M-346 training aircraft and will maintain the entire training fleet of M-346 and T-6 aircraft for a period of approximately 20 years. The aircraft will feature Elbit Systems’ latest advanced Embedded Virtual Avionics (EVA), and the company will also deliver networked flight simulators and an array of ground-based training stations, as well as C2 systems to support efficient flight training operations management.
“This contract award attests to the leading position we hold in the area of [pilot] training solutions, providing tested know-how and proven technologies that improve operational readiness while reducing costs,” stated the company’s President & CEO, Bezhalel Machlis.
The contract follows a number of significant successes in training and simulation systems for the company in the last two years: embedded training capabilities for the US Air Force T-7 RED HAWK trainer; a range of simulation capabilities for Britain’s Royal Navy; a Brigade and Battlegroup Mission Training Centre for the Israeli Defence Forces; and helicopter flight simulation for the Italian MoD, among others. Additionally, Elbit Systems and its partner KBR have been providing procurement, operations and maintenance services for the Royal Air Forces’ Basic Flying Training programme since 2016.
