Orlando, Florida, USA, 03-DEC-03 -- Lockheed Martin UK Ltd., Rolls-Royce plc and VT Group plc today formally announced the name of their consortium team bidding for the UK Ministry of Defence’s Military Flying Training System (UK MFTS) programme. The team will be known as ASCENT.

The three companies had previously signed a Letter of Intent in September, 2003 at London’s Defence Systems Equipment International exhibition to team for the procurement of a Training Systems Integrator for UK MFTS. Since September the team has continued to support the UK MoD as the programme has progressed through its Convergence Phase.

“This represents our team entering a new phase as the UK Government’s procurement programme continues on-schedule” said Jim Keeler, Vice-President of Business Development for Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Project Director for ASCENT. “This is the right name for a team which has consistently supported the UK Government and focused on a holistic solution to future flying training for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.”

VT Support Services’ Managing Director, Simon Tarrant, commented on the significant progress made since the Consortium formed. “The three companies have integrated very successfully and ASCENT is already performing as a unified team. ASCENT will utilise the skills inherent within the team and make use of emerging technology to ensure rapid data transfer internally and facilitate a timely and considered response to customer questions and inputs.”

The commitment to the programme runs much deeper than just a name however as Mike Nixon, Senior Vice President for UK MoD, Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, and one of the senior military advisors to ASCENT, explains: “From early 2004 onwards, the team will be located at Rolls-Royce in Bristol in order to be geographically close to our customer in the Defence Procurement Agency at Abbey Wood. ASCENT will have its own offices, systems and website dedicated to supporting the bid.”

Lockheed Martin is the world’s leading provider of military aircrew training and it is a leader in the design, development, installation, operation and integration of training and simulation systems for global defence, civil, and commercial markets. Its capabilities span the live, virtual, constructive and test-instrumentation training domains for flight, naval and ground systems applications. In the UK, Lockheed Martin was responsible for successfully delivering the world’s largest and most sophisticated simulation system, the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT).

Rolls-Royce operates in four global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. In addition to its global experience in power systems, it offers a unique mix of programme management and asset financing skills with extensive experience of the UK environment.

VT Group is a leading provider of services and products to governments world-wide and operates in two major divisions, Support Services and Shipbuilding. VT Support Services encompasses both civil and military activities. Military support is tri-service and includes training, platform and equipment maintenance and facilities management. It provides and supports current flying training through its partnership with the UK MoD.

Notes to Editors:

1. The UK Military Flying Training System will replace the present flying training arrangements for the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the Army Air Corps before the end of the present decade.
2. UKMFTS is a genuinely tri-Service programme which will cater for the different training needs of the entire flying element of the UK front line, ranging from fast-jet pilots and navigators, through rotary wing pilots and rear crews, to multi-engine pilots and rear crews. This programme will encompass all flying training which takes place from the moment young men and women are selected, through to their arrival at the conversion unit for their designated operational aircraft.
3. Timing: Following a successful Initial Gate Submission at the end of 2002 the programme has entered the current assessment phase. Initial Service Provision (ISP) is due in 2007 with Full Service Provision (FSP) due in 2012.
4. Lockheed Martin was recently tasked to undertake the UK Military Flying Training System (UK MFTS) Live / Synthetic Balance study in partnership with the Cranfield College of Aeronautics and Training Systems Technology.

For further Information visit:
www.ascentflighttraining.co.uk