13 Feb 24. Indra Completes the Purchase of Global Training Aviation and Enhances its Standing As One of the World’s Leading Simulation Companies.
- Indra now covers the business’s entire value chain, from the manufacture of state-of-the-art simulators to the provision of training services for civilian and military pilots
- It acquires GTA, a leading aeronautical training company with clients in over 40 countries, and establishes a plan to speed up its growth with the supply of new simulators
- Indra will provide comprehensive coverage for the needs of airlines and military clients and bolster its position in high-growth markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America where GTA is already well-established
Indra, one of the leading global consulting and technology companies, has completed the purchase of 65% of GTA, thus securing 100% of its capital and becoming one of the few companies in the world capable of covering the business’s entire value chain, from the development of cutting-edge simulators and training systems to the provision of training services for civilian and military pilots.
According to Rafael Junco, Indra’s Head of Simulation, the operation “will increase our ability to define a much more solid and stable long-term growth strategy for the simulation business and allow us to forge closer ties with end clients, the airlines and defence ministries to whom we will provide first-rate service through GTA, a company specializing in pilot and cabin crew training and certified by the world’s major aviation authorities.”
Indra will also drive GTA’s growth in order to increase its business share in strategic markets and capture the high-growth potential of the civil aviation training services market in Asia, Europe and Latin America. To do so, it has defined a growth plan that includes the supply of new training devices, the consolidation of the existing offices and the company’s international expansion, maintaining the brand, identity and structure which are so highly renowned in the market.
This acquisition will also bring sufficient visibility in terms of demand to enable Indra to speed up the development of the next-generation technologies set to shape the future of the industry that will prove critical to guaranteeing its leadership in the coming years, delivering the best possible solutions to its clients.
Indra has maintained a close relationship with GTA since 2009, when the latter company acquired the first civil aircraft flight simulators manufactured by Indra for the ATR 72-500 and, later, Airbus A320 models.
In mid-2017, following the opening of GTA’s Indonesian office, Indra took a further step with the acquisition of 35.07% of the company’s capital, thus establishing a relationship that is now being consolidated with the purchase of the remaining 65%. Since then, GTA has completed its fleet of simulators with the incorporation of three state-of-the-art simulators and a new international office in Colombia, thus expanding its range of services in the Latin American market.
Indra has a major domestic and international presence in the simulation equipment manufacturing business, having delivered more than 250 civil and military simulators around the world. The company is one of the most prestigious manufacturers of rotary-wing platforms and it has significant influence in the fixed-wing platform market, an area with enormous potential for growth. (Source: ASD Network)
13 Feb 24. British troops and hundreds of vehicles depart for Nato’s largest exercise since Cold War.
Army vehicles are making their way to Poland for Exercise Steadfast Defender, the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War.
Vehicles belonging to 7 Light Mechanised Brigade, also known as “The Desert Rats” were loaded onto a 23,000-tonne cargo vessel, MV Anvil Point, near Southampton on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, more than 1,500 service personnel will fly out to join the Nato exercise in a demonstration of the alliance’s unity and capability.
Among the various vehicles being ferried to Germany are Foxhound patrol vehicles which were designed and built in Britain to protect against threats faced by troops in Afghanistan.
Also embarked are Jackal 2 reconnaissance vehicles, a range of different trucks, Land Rovers, engineers’ tractors and support vehicles.
Major Simon Robertson of 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, told the PA news agency: “It’s very much down to us to ensure that we get the vehicles where they need to be and the people in order (so) they can move on to conduct the exercise.
“It’s a busy one, it’s got a number of moving parts and it’s over a four, five-month period for us, but actually for the regiment itself we do this day in day out.
“Yes it’s got a bit more focus and attention on it but it’s something we do on a regular basis, so for us it’s very much business as usual.”
HMS Prince of Wales, replacing her sister ship, is leading the military maritime mission, and set sail for Norway on Monday.
The £3.3bn aircraft carrier will be at the centre of Nato exercises involving more than 20,000 UK military personnel across Scandinavia and northern Europe.
Exercise Steadfast Defender sees 31 Nato nations and Sweden taking part in a series of exercises across Europe to simulate repelling an invasion by Russian forces.
Commodore James Blackmore, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group leading HMS Prince of Wales, said on Monday: “The UK has an unwavering commitment to Nato and collective deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic region.
“There is no better demonstration of that than HMS Prince of Wales being at the heart of the upcoming Nato maritime exercises, the largest in over 40 years.” (Source: forces.net)
12 Feb 24. Azerbaijan opens facilities for new Akinci drone. Azerbaijan has opened a training facility and hanger for a new Akinci drone, confirming the country bought the Turkish-made combat system.
The Feb. 9 ceremony also involved a flight of the Akinci, according to the Azeri government. The chief technology officer of Akinci manufacturer Baykar, Selcuk Bayraktar, posted images of the event on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Attendees included Bayraktar, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and his son Heydar Aliyev, as well as other high-ranking officers.
The training facility is for UAV operators, while the hanger will serve as a maintenance headquarters.
Azerbaijan had quietly purchased the Akinci. In March 2022, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said during a news conference that three nations were interested in buying drone type. According to the company, the first group of Azeri pilots for the Akinci completed training in October 2022.
In April 2023, Baykar and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of Baykar drones in the country. Azerbaijan previously used TB2 combat drones in its war against Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Akinci is a high-altitude, long-endurance drone with a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms (12,228 pounds), compared to the TB2′s 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds). The Akinci’s 1,500-kilogram payload is 10 times more than that of the TB2.
The Akinci can also fly higher than the TB2 at around 30,000-40,000 feet max. The Akinci also uses a wide range of ammunition and missiles, including MAM –L, MAM-C, Cirit, L-UMTAS, Bozok, SOM-A, and the Mark 81/82/83 bomb series. (Source: Defense News)