Westland venture wins pounds 650m training contract

AVIATION Training International (ATIL), a joint venture formed by GKN Westland Helicopters and the US aircraft maker Boeing, has won a contract worth pounds 650m for training on the WAH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday. The 30-year contract is for training air and ground crew to operate and maintain the helicopter.

Lord Gilbert, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, said training facilities, including advanced simulators which will reduce the need for airborne and overseas training, will be established at Army Air Corps bases at Middle Wallop, Wattisham and Dishforth, and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers base at Arborfield.

Lord Gilbert said the contract places full responsibility on GKN/Boeing to provide a high-quality service in time for Apache's entry into UK service in December 2000.

"Training will be highly realistic, allowing air, ground and maintenance crew to train without using aircraft, reducing the need for night flying and live armament training. The facilities will substantially reduce wear and tear on the Apache fleet and maximise aircraft availability for operational units," Lord Gilbert said.

Yesterday Compass, the UK's largest contract caterer, confirmed that its Eurest unit had won a MoD contract to supply catering services in Germany.

The contract covers 25,000 staff employed by the British Army and their dependents. Compass said it is worth a potential pounds 500m in sales over seven years. Shares in Compass rose 33p to 665p.

This is the latest in a series of high-profile contracts for Compass, which include a deal with Royal Philips Electronics NV covering 110,000 staff. Compass, which operates the Upper Crust chain of sandwich stores, is focusing on new orders after spending pounds 1bn on acquisitions in its last financial year.