Boeing [BA] won a contract worth about $517 million to train Royal Australian Navy and Army helicopter pilots for the next 25 years, the company said this week.

Boeing Defense Australia (BDA) previously partnered with Thales to develop a low-risk training solution using the Airbus EC135 helicopter for the JP 9000 Phase-7 Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) effort.

EC135, the aircraft that Boeing and Thales will use to train Australian military helicopter pilots. Photo: Airbus.
EC135, the aircraft that Boeing and Thales will use to train Australian military helicopter pilots. Photo: Airbus.

“This reinforces Boeing as a leading provider of military aviation training in Australia,” Kim Gillis, BDA’s managing director and vice president, said in a statement. “We will meet the needs of the Australian Defence Force through a balanced program that makes the most of its cadre of instructors supported by flight simulators and computer-based instruction and training aircraft.”

Boeing has been a supplier of helicopter pilot, aircrew, and technician training for the Australian Army since 2007.

Rear Adm. Tony Dalton, Head of the Helicopter Systems Division in the Australian Defence Material Organization (DMO), added “This contract will introduce a modern helicopter training system that will support the next generation of Army and Navy aircrew transitioning to our modern combat helicopter.”