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 Mk6 training and a £29 million contract has been awarded to AgustaWestland to provide Merlin Mk4/4a 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 practise manoeuvres and procedures safely and repeatedly to enhance their learning.

Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne said: “We are providing our Armed Forces with one of the most capable and technologically advanced helicopter fleets in the world, and to complement this, it is essential that we also provide them with the very best and latest training. Alongside essential flying experience, these world-class simulators will play a vital role in ensuring our people are capable, competent and ready to deploy on operations around the globe.

“Over the last year, we are very proud to have delivered a number of new helicopter capabilities to our Armed Forces, and we plan to invest a further £11 billion over the next decade to sustain and further improve our fleet.”