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In 1985 Cobham separated the Airfield Division from Flight
Refuelling under a new name, FR Aviation (FRA). The company quickly
established a reputation for modifying, maintaining and operating
aircraft in specialist roles, now termed 'special mission' and
replicated the 'contractor owned, contractor operated' or CoCo
model to provide threat simulation exercises for Royal Navy
warships.
Cobham's training services are now part of the UK's military
training regime, with the company's Falcon 20s often accompanying
Royal Air Force fighter jets on exercises and training deployments.
As many FR Aviation pilots and Electronic Warfare Officers are ex
Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilots, observers and
navigators, they are able to provide realistic scenarios for
training aircraft and ships on what to expect in combat.
In 1993 FR Aviation formed a joint venture called Flight
Precision with German company Aerodata, to pursue the calibration
of vital aircraft navigation beacons at UK military airfields. Now
part of Cobham Aviation Services and wholly owned, the airfield
calibration unit has often been called upon to ensure an airfield's
navigation aids are correctly aligned for special visitors and
events, including the 2004 Euro Cup football series in Portugal and
former Prime Minister Tony Blair's visits to Iraq.
In 1997 the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS), at RAF
Shawbury in Shropshire was opened supported by a joint venture
between FR Aviation and Bristow Helicopters. DHFS provides training
for more than 200 helicopter pilots, navigators and crewmen each
year, including initial helicopter training for the three UK Armed
Services and overseas Governments.
FR Aviation also has an established reputation for converting
and maintaining large military aircraft. From 1989 until 2005 the
company provided servicing and modification of RAF Canberra jets.
Between 1991 and 1997, the company converted 13 Royal Air Force
VC-10 transport aircraft for the air-to-air refuelling role,
installing two refuelling pods and the accompanying fuel system and
fitting a suite of avionics equipment as part of the upgrade.
In June 1995, FR Aviation Services (in association with Serco)
was awarded the contract to carry out Major maintenance on Nimrod
MR2 and R1 aircraft. Today the company provides maintenance for the
Royal Air Force's Nimrod antisubmarine aircraft and whole life
support for the E-3D Sentry AWACS platform.
In 2000 Cobham acquired Australia's third largest aircraft
operator, National Jet Systems. With a fleet of more than 40
aircraft, its operations varied from civil maritime surveillance on
behalf of the Australian government, to scheduled airline services
for national carrier Qantas and large mining companies in
Australia's Outback.
Cobham is providing modification and air-to-air refuelling
equipment as part of the FSTA programme, which will replace the
Royal Air Force's current fleet of VC-10 and TriStar tanker
transport aircraft with 14 converted Airbus A330-200 aircraft,
based at RAF Brize Norton.
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In the 1990s Cobham Aviation Services converted
VC-10 transports to air-to-air tankers on behalf of the Royal Air
Force.
Cobham Aviation Services is at the heart of
Australia's mining industry, providing personnel transport services
to remote Outback areas.
Since 1982 Cobham Aviation Services has provided
specialist airborne training services for the UK armed forces.
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