The Finnish Air Force and Patria Team Up to Establish an International Flight Training Center
Patria and the Finnish Air Force have signed a contract to team up to establish an international flight training centre. The facility, called the Nordic Pilot Training Centre, or NPTC, will offer military flight training to foreign customers utilising Hawk aircraft operated by the FINAF’s Training Air Wing at Kauhava air base.
The Ministry of Defence, Defence Command Finland, Finnish Air Force, and Patria have been involved in the development work of an international flight training concept since 2003. The contract now signed is based on a report prepared by a working group set up by the Ministry of Defence to carry out a feasibility study on various options for international flight training in Finland. The contract defines general guidelines and work-sharing in the setting up and running of the training center.
As the training platform, the NPTC offers the upgraded Hawk of the Finnish Air Force. The advantages of Kauhava include airspace, which is extensive by European standards and more than sufficient for tactical and weapons training.
The training scheme meets high international standards since it is based on the Finnish Air Force’s efficacious training methods that have been successfully applied for more than a decade in the training of the service’s F-18 Hornet pilots. The Training Air Wing, which is responsible for advanced and lead-in training of Finnish pilots, was awarded an ISO 9001:2000 Certificate of Approval of its Quality Management System in recognition of excellent training by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance on January 17, 2007.
NPTC training syllabi will be tailored to ensure that each customer can be offered training to deliver just the competence they require and bring pilots up to a level that enables them to convert to modern fighters upon completion of training. Considerable interest has already been shown in military flight training at Kauhava.
The Finnish Air Force is responsible for airspace surveillance and air policing over the Finnish territory. The service’s primary war-time mission is defensive counter-air fighter operations. In addition to these, the Finnish Air Force trains personnel for a wide range of specialties required to carry out the air policing mission.
Patria is a defence and aerospace group with international operations delivering its customers competitive solutions based on own specialist know-how and partnerships. Patria is owned by the State of Finland and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Since 2005, Patria has provided elementary and basic flight training services for the Finnish Air Force at Tikkakoski air base as well as Hawk simulator and ground school at Kauhava. In addition to these, Patria has a long history as a depot level maintenance facility of the Air Force’s fighters. The setting-up of the international training center is another indication of deepening the long-established cooperation between Patria and the Finnish Air Force.
Further information:
Patria
Jukka Holkeri
Executive Vice President
Tel. +358 40 869 2008
Air Force Command Finland
Colonel Ari Jussila
Chief of Operations
Tel. +358 14 181 0111
