“The sobering events taking place 1500 miles to the east of us, underscore the importance of RAF Valley’s work to both UK Defence and to our NATO Allies."
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said, "There is a real sense of purpose about this place, it is buzzing with activity and one quickly gains a sense that RAF Valley is fully connected to the front-line and committed to meeting future operational needs, in the form of producing first class, front-line fighter pilots of the highest quality, in the required quantity, and getting them where they are needed in a timely manner.
The new investments at Valley totalling £775 million - that are being directed into engineering support for Hawk and the new Texan training facility, will strengthen this endeavour. They also underline MoD and Government commitment to jobs and skills in North Wales; guaranteeing existing jobs and nurturing the next generation of Engineering apprentices - of which a great many are locally recruited.”
The Defence Secretary was visiting RAF Valley as part of a wider visit to North Wales. He was met by the RAF Head of Flying Training - Air Commodore Sharrocks, and the Station Commander RAF Valley - Group Captain Hoare.
The Secretary of State was keen to witness how the RAF is training the next generation of fast jet pilots and also to assess for himself the impact of recent investment in flying training and the efforts to increase the throughput of pilots to the trained strength in a timely manner.
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| Envoy IV CC Mk1 |
The Envoy name reflects the role of the aircraft in defence diplomacy and relationship building and is a nod to previous Envoy aircraft in RAF service. The original Envoy aircraft in RAF service was the Airspeed Envoy, first flown in 1934. It was a twin-engine light transport aircraft, used by the RAF across Marks I, II (as the Oxford) and III, before and during World War 2 in the communications role; one of which served with the ‘Kings Flight’, the precursor to today’s No 32 (The Royal) Squadron.
