The Department of National Defence will consolidate its RCAF flight crew training programs into one contract when the current contracts that are in place expire. The new program has been named the Future Aircrew Training program (FAcT).
Currently, the Contracted Flying Training and Support program (CFTS) is managed by KF Aerospace in Southport, Manitoba and the NATO Flying Training in Canada program (NFTC) is managed by CAE in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and Cold Lake, Alberta. Two other training programs that are currently conducted by the military in Winnipeg, the Air Combat Systems Officer (ACSO) and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator (AES Op) programs, will also be merged into FAcT.
Enter SkyAlyne, a partnership formed by KF Aerospace and CAE. SkyAlyne is promoting its 100-percent Canadian solution to the DND. Competing for the contract is a partnership led by Babcock-Leonardo (based in the United Kingdom and Italy, respectively) that includes FlightSafety International, Top Aces and L3Harris, among other smaller participants.
The contractor will be expected to provide, in addition to the training, all aircraft and their maintenance, flight simulators, classroom training systems, civilian instructors, accommodation and catering. The training will continue to be conducted in the three locations mentioned above. The contract is expected to run for at least 20 years.