The Ministry of Defence is investing £80 million in new world-class equipment to help train the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy helicopter pilots and rear crews of the future.
A £51 million contract with Lockheed Martin UK will support Chinook Mk 6 training, and a £29 million contract has been awarded to AgustaWestland to provide Merlin Mk 4/4a aircrew Synthetic Training Devices.
The simulators will be based at military bases in Somerset and Hampshire with the two contracts providing around 130 jobs, including for the construction of a new schoolhouse.
The equipment will provide a realistic representation of the operating environments the crews will fly in, and will enable them to practice manoeuvres and procedures safely and repeatedly to enhance their learning.