Gp Capt Chris Mullen, the Station Commander and Commandant of No. 1 Flying Training School was on the flight line to welcome a brand-new Jupiter (Airbus H145) helicopter. This new addition to the fleet will shortly be taking to the skies, once final checks and transfer to the military register are completed, to deliver world-leading training as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).

UKMFTS is an ambitious programme which has modernised and transformed the entirety of the UK’s military flying training. The enterprise is being delivered as a partnering arrangement between the MOD and Ascent Flight Training, as Training Service Provider, together the full support of our industry partners Airbus UK, Lockheed Martin, Babcock International and CAE.
Gp Capt Mullen said: “This helicopter is the first of an additional 4 Jupiter helicopters which will be delivered following the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. We now have the modern aircraft and technology that Defence needs for the future, and the opportunity to fully exploit this potential. The investment made in the rotary element of the UKMFTS programme will ensure that the front line receives the trained aircrew that it needs and will enable RAF Shawbury to remain one of the RAF’s main operating bases for at least the next 25 years, securing the future of the unit in Shropshire.”