Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
LONDON—Ascent Flight Training, the consortium that runs the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Military Flight Training System (MFTS), has selected the Affinity Group as the preferred bidder for the MFTS program’s aircraft service provider program. Affinity, itself a consortium of Elbit Systems and KBR, will provide new aircraft fleets for elementary flying training, multi-engine training and basic flying training. Affinity plans to provide basic flying training, currently carried out on the Shorts Tucano or the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II.
With new and potential orders, Embraer sees bright future for KC-390 airlifter. Emphasizing its multirole capability along with the speed performance offered by its IAE V2500 turbofan—as well as the reliability and low-cost operational experience of its regional jet family—the Brazilian aerospace company hopes to take a major share of the airlifter market over the next 10-15 years. .
