LONDON, December 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

As global military forces continue to come under financial strain to maximise flight training programmes at a reduced cost, Defence IQ has unveiled details of the 11^th Military Flight Training conference, taking place in London in March 2012.

With an increasing number of international air forces having opted for outsourcing basic training programmes, the Military Flight Training 2012 speaker faculty will be assessing the advantages and drawbacks of outsourcing, optimising the use of these programmes to obtain the highest-performing aircrew, and the methods to ensure their full cost-effectiveness.

The conference comes in the wake of the recent announcement by L-3 Link Simulation & Training that it has received a contract option from the U.S. Air Force to build a fifth F-16 Mission Training Center (MTC), the specific aim of which is to help decrease the financial burden of the USAF:

"The new F-16 Mission Training Centers we are building and fielding for the U.S. Air Force represent a major leap forward in military flight simulation realism that will maximize pilot operational readiness while reducing overall training costs," said Leonard Genna, president of L-3 Link.

Featuring a specialist agenda stream on optimising the use of effective training centres to combat limited airspace and ineffective equipment, and exploring the ways to advance their role to provide greater cost-effective training, the agenda for Military Flight Training 2012 also provides insight into the debate over increased simulation over live flight, the necessary regime and equipment needed to provide bespoke 5^th generation fighter training as well as an increased priority for international joint training initiatives.

In addition to Brigadier General Mark Nowland, Director Plans, Programs and Policy- Air Education Training Command, US Air Force, discussing methods to ensure 2020 trainer advancements are kept on time and on budget, the expert conference speaker faculty features:

• Brigadier General Timothy Ray, Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan
• Brigadier General Silvano Frigerio, Deputy Chief of Aerospace Plans & Policy, Italian Air Force
• Brigadier General Atilla Darendeli, Chief of Air Training, Turkish Air Force
• Captain Andrew Hartigan, Programme Manager, US Navy
• Colonel Wolfgang Luttenberger, Deputy Director Military Aviation Division, Austrian MoD

Full conference details can be found at http://www.militaryflighttraining.com, and the full programme agenda is also available for download.

Serving flag officers 1 star and above are eligible for a complimentary pass which can be requested from defence@iqpc.co.uk

Calum Jeffray, IQPC, 2nd Floor, 129 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1JZ, Tel: +44-20-7368-9300

SOURCE Defence IQ