The U.S. State Department has approved the United Kingdom’s request to purchase Tactical Combat Training System Increment II and related equipment worth approximately $70 million.
The possible foreign military sale includes 46 TCTS II systems, spare parts, technical documentation, training equipment, integration support and other logistical services for the Royal Air Force. Collins Aerospace and Leonardo DRS are the principal contractors.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the potential acquisition aligns with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives as it is intended for a key NATO ally and enhances London’s live, virtual, and constructive tactical combat training capabilities. It added that the RAF’s deployment of TCTS II systems also strengthens the two nations’ training interoperability.
According to the Collins Aerospace website, the TCTS II air combat test and training solution is designed to provide realistic and secure training environments, allowing participants to “train like they fight.” The system supports both individual and large-force exercises, both at home and in deployed settings, and works with fifth- and fourth-generation fighters, helicopters, and other maritime and ground-based assets even in GPS-denied environments.
On Wednesday, RAF joined other NATO forces in the ongoing Exercise Global Eagle, a military training event focusing on airbase defense. The exercise, which includes live-fire and simulated training scenarios and knowledge exchange, will run for two weeks at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, United States.