Civil Aviation Authority Grants NQE Status

RNS Number : 9244H

Strat Aero PLC

23 August 2016

 

Strat Aero plc / Index: AIM / TIDM: AERO / Sector: Support Services

23 August 2016

Strat Aero plc ("Strat Aero", the "Company" or the "Group")

Civil Aviation Authority Grants National Qualified Entity Status

Strat Aero plc, an international aerospace company focussed on the rapidly emerging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ("UAV") sector, is pleased to announce that the UK's Civil Aviation Authority ('CAA') has granted Strat Aero National Qualified Entity ('NQE') status.  This is an important development in the commercialisation of Strat Aero's training programmes as in order to apply for a UAV pilot's licence, individuals need to show that they trained at an NQE certified centre.  The Board believe that the grant of NQE status is an endorsement of the Company's training programmes and confirms the quality of Strat Aero's suite of commercial teaching courseware.

The grant of NQE status coincides with the launch of several new training initiatives including the Applied Unmanned Technical Qualification ('AUTQ').  Unlike many training organisations, Strat Aero flies its own commercial UAV fleet to deliver inspection and survey services to clients - which means that real-world learnings can be embedded directly into Strat Aero's training materials.

The driving factor behind the development of Strat Aero's AUTQ programme has been the need for high level training for operators providing professional services to commercial clients. Strat Aero's training has an emphasis on hands on flight training and a unique focus on training operators for their chosen commercial application.

 The AUTQ has therefore been designed to provide a level of knowledge and skills development not currently provided by commercially offered training courses.   It is focussed on developing all the flight skills that operators need to control UAVs safely and effectively in a commercial environment, based on Strat Aero's own experience of several thousand hours of UAV operation.

Strat Aero provides a broad range of UAV training solutions, including specialist training for military and law enforcement users.  These customised programmes not only teach the basics of UAV operation, but are specifically tailored to mission objectives.  These can include surveillance and intelligence gathering, border patrol, anti-piracy, counter-insurgency, search-and-rescue and high value asset security.

Iain McLure, CEO of Strat Aero plc, said "As UAV technology matures and devices become both more cost-effective and more capable, individual users and organisations are looking for training solutions that enable them to operate UAVs in a broad range of settings.  We are delighted that our training operation has now been formally recognised by the CAA, one of the world's leading National Aviation Authorities."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

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For further information please visit www.strat-aero.com or contact:

Strat Aero plc	Tel: [phone]
Graham Peck (Chairman)
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP	Tel: [phone]
Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker
Stuart Gledhill Jeff Keating
Beaufort Securities Limited	Tel: [phone]
Joint Broker
Elliot Hance
Cornhill Capital Ltd
Joint Broker
Colin Rowbury	Tel: [phone]
St Brides Partners Ltd	Tel: [phone]
Financial PR Frank Buhagiar Susie Geliher

Notes

Strat Aero plc is a multi-divisional international aerospace services company, focussed primarily on the provision of complete client solutions in the Unmanned Aerial System ('UAS' market), which is predicted to show exponential growth over the coming decade.  Commercial and military applications in UASs are expected to be a dynamic growth sector in the aerospace industry over the next 10 years with the UAS market forecast to grow to more than US$82.1 billion between 2015 and 2025 (AUVSI Economic Report 2013) and the global airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ('ISR') market estimated to grow to US$19.23 billion by 2023. 

 

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