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Credit: Babcock
Defense engineering and support company Babcock has acquired 11 Aero Vodochody L-39 jet trainers as part of an effort to grow European training capacity.
The company is setting up an academy in Dijon, France, to train new pilots on the type, as well as retrain qualified pilots and provide aircraft for Joint Terminal Attack Controller training.
Babcock states that the L-39s were previously owned by Apache Aviation and flown by the Breitling Jet Team, a civilian aerobatic team which flew displays until summer 2019.
“Expanding our military training activity aligns with our ambition to support our customers’ needs, both in the short and long term,” says Pierre Basquin, Babcock’s chief executive aviation and its CEO in France.
“With our expertise and infrastructure, we deliver a complete training system which provides military pilots with a comprehensive training experience that reflects a real military flying environment,” Basquin adds.
Babcock says the academy’s courses have been designed and delivered by former fighter pilots from the French Air Force and have been tailored to the needs of international air forces and aligned with NATO’s standard operational procedures.
The company already has secured training contracts in France with the French Air Force, providing Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainers to support training of Dassault Rafale pilots.
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