- Contract extension to support Royal Air Force’s synthetic training environment
WADDINGTON, United Kingdom, December 19, 2025 — Boeing Defence UK has been awarded a £16.9 million contract extension for the Gladiator Core Systems and Services (GCS&S) programme to support the UK’s armed forces.
The contract extension will ensure the continued operation, maintenance and support of the Royal Air Force’s distributed synthetic training environment while integrating new, geographically distributed platform simulators and system enhancements.
"We're proud to continue our partnership with the Ministry of Defence on this cutting-edge training system,” said Thom Breckenridge, Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK. “Gladiator represents a step change in capability for the UK, enabling crews and ground forces from all three services, along with allies and partners, to train in a secure and seamless virtual environment. Working with our UK technology suppliers, we're delivering an open-source solution that meets current and future training needs while supporting over 50 highly skilled jobs across the UK."
Since initial contract award, Boeing has invested more than £24 million through the local supply chain to develop the Gladiator system, with support from nine UK-based suppliers for its extension.
"This Contract ensures continuity of this vital capability while we integrate additional platforms into Gladiator,” said Mark Bunyan, Synthetic Environments & Training Team Leader at DE&S. “The system represents a strategic investment in our armed forces' readiness, allowing geographically dispersed training systems to come together in a secure multi-domain virtual environment to train together in complex scenarios. This contract paves the way for the training transformation outlined in the Strategic Defence Review."
Since achieving Initial Operating Capability in January 2023, Gladiator has significantly enhanced its core functionality. This includes a range of capability demonstrations to support new growth areas and the integration of new platforms and capabilities, such as Ground-Based Air Defence Training, Air Battlespace Maneuver Training, and the integration of distributed platform simulators, such as the Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.
“Gladiator is critical for enabling aircrew and air command and control aviators to train collectively in a realistic, networked environment that replicates the complexity of modern multi-domain operations,” said Group Captain Paul Froome, Senior Responsible Owner for Gladiator in Air Capability within Air Command. “This contract allows us to continue to integrate platforms and decision-makers in a synthetic battlespace, that builds interoperability, enhances mission readiness, and ensures crews can operate as a cohesive force under contested conditions.”
Gladiator is a unique capability that allows geographically distributed training centres to exercise together in a single synthetic battlespace, enabling a fair fight between different simulations. This capability supports training across different security classifications and domains (Air, Land, and Maritime), making Gladiator the only system capable of preparing forces for future joint battlespaces alongside international colleagues from NATO, the U.S., Australia, and Canada.
