Draken Europe
At face value, Draken’s proposition may seem simple, but that belies the complexity of the tasks its team delivers: they play the bad guys, regularly flying against the best of the UK’s Armed Forces and their strategic allies throughout NATO.
To elaborate, Dorset-based Draken is a leading operator in the field of adversary training. Decades of experience in the sector means the company can provide a highly realistic effect that is a true test of current and new military hardware and the ability of military personnel to defend themselves from attack. It is why Draken can be found regularly taking part in major international training exercises in support of more than 20 nations annually.
Headquartered at Bournemouth’s Aviation Park East, Draken’s distinctive dark blue Falcon 20 jets have been a regular sight in the skies above the South Coast for several decades. Its advanced electronic warfare-equipped aircraft have been a mainstay of UK and allied military training programmes since the company was established as FR Aviation, in 1985.
Formerly part of Cobham Plc, the company was acquired by Draken International in 2020, now sitting within the dynamic Tactical Opportunities portfolio at the US investment firm Blackstone. Draken’s UK operations form the backbone to the company’s activities internationally, with more than 500 personnel employed in this country, most of whom live and work in the Bournemouth area.
With a strong commitment to the advancement of STEM subjects in the community, Draken invests heavily in research and development, taking a leading role in trials to merge synthetic and live training and to explore the future use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a range of special mission and adversary roles. This work is strengthening Draken’s reputation for cost-effective and timely delivery of practical results, placing the company firmly in the technological vanguard of Dorset’s defence sector.