Prime Minsiter pledges ‘unstinting commitment’ to aerospace at Farnborough Airshow

Speaking at the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire yesterday, the Prime Minister described the industry as a "real success story", and emphasised its importance for the "future of our country and our economy". He also announced a £50million defence contract between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Thales to build a new simulator for the A400M defence aircraft. The deal, he said, would benefit both the RAF and UK manufacturing. The A400M simulators are designed and built by Thales Training and Simulation in Crawley, sustaining 50 high tech UK jobs and skills. The MoD has ordered 22 aircraft to replace the fleet of C-130 Hercules, with the first delivery expected in 2014. David Cameron also used the show to announce £3million of government funding for 500 Masters-level places in aerospace engineering over the next three years. The places will be jointly funded with industry and are aimed at providing the industry with the next generation of skilled engineers. "In a hugely difficult time in the global economy UK aerospace is, quite simply, flying – employing more than 100,000 people, turning over more than £20billion a year, holding a 17% share of the global market," Cameron noted. "But there can be absolutely no complacency. International competition gets more fierce by the year. The UK has got to fight for every contract and every opportunity." He continued: "From this government you will see nothing less than an unstinting, unrelenting, unflagging commitment to making Britain the best place in the world for aerospace businesses to invest, design, manufacture and export." Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "The UK aerospace sector is a national success story and to ensure we stay ahead of the game we need to attract the brightest and best to the industry. Our new Masters partnership will boost the skills needed for growth. It will enable companies to train up existing employees and get talented new people into the aerospace sector at Masters level."