UK MoD invests in Falklands amid Argentine protests

The UK MoD has appointed Aquila Air Traffic Management Services to support its air defences and provide surveillance and communications services at air defence radar sites in the Southwest of England and the Falkland Islands.

Aquila will provide servicing and maintenance of the Type 101 and Type 102 radar and communications systems.

The company already provides air defence support services to the MoD at test ranges in the Shetland Islands and the Outer Hebrides.

Under the new partnership, known as Project Samson, Aquila extends its support of air defence sites beyond the UK.

Aquila specialises in integrated solutions and support services for air traffic management, air defence and safety-critical infrastructure, it is leading the transformation of the MoD’s air traffic management capability.

This award follows recent Argentinian protests to RAF movement in the South Atlantic region.

In particular, Argentina’s Ambassador to Brazil filed a complaint at the start of February expressing concern over British military aircraft stopping in Brazil en route to the Falklands.

Argentina’s complaints derive from a belief that continued stopovers of RAF aircraft, such as the C-17 Globemaster III, in Brazil over time could be publicised as regional support for British presence in the South Atlantic.