Defence Aviation Repair Agency - DARA

DARA is the MoD's aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, supporting all three Services. It offers a complete service for a vast range of military equipment and systems, from test and inspection through deep repair, overhaul and modification to finish and final delivery.
It provides a one-stop shop, dealing at all levels, from whole aircraft - both fixed- and rotary-wing - and engines, to small components and electronics. Its capabilities also expand into the marine and land sectors. Alongside traditional maintenance, it is developing into new areas like design support and supply chain management.
Launched four years ago, DARA brought together the RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency and the Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation to form Europe's largest government-owned facility for the repair, overhaul and maintenance of military systems and components. It employs 4,900 people (4,500 civilian and 400 military) at seven UK sites:
• Almondbank, Perth - components
• Sealand, Flintshire - electronics
• DPA Abbey Wood, Bristol - fixed-wing, rotary-wing, engines, components and electronics
• St Athan, Glamorgan - fixed-wing and components
• RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire - fixed-wing, rotary-wing, engines, components and electronics
• RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset - fixed-wing, rotary-wing, engines, components and electronics
• Fleetlands, Gosport - rotary-wing and engines.
DARA fixed-wing specialises in fast jets, but also services the RAF's VC10 fleet, and retains both the capability and facilities to work on large aircraft. The unit's facilities combine to provide a one-stop shop, from plastic media stripping right through to fly-in paint finishing. Services include storage and recovery, full testing, major and minor maintenance, full repair and the embodiment of modifications. Rotary-wing specialists work on virtually any type of helicopter, and cover the aircraft of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. As above, it is a one-stop shop, offering the same range of services as the fixed-wing division.
DARA engines division specialises in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aero gas turbine engines (fixed- and rotary-wing) and marine gas turbines, undertaking both whole-engine and module work. It currently services over ten engine families and offers a complete package solution, overhauling to full recondition level and carrying out modifications and conversions. It can often recover components rather than replace them - resulting in substantial savings. The components unit services rotary-wing hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel components, the secondary power systems of fixed-wing aircraft and various types of winch equipment. Work on Apache has recently added to its product portfolio, and its repair and overhaul technology combines with traditional skills and the experience of its workforce.
DARA electronic specialists work in Europe's largest in-Service electronics maintenance unit, operating across a wide product range and servicing more than 15,000 product lines annually. The unit's experience is grounded in aerospace technology, but it also spans land and sea environments, including ship-borne and submarine equipment, and weapons technology and commercial applications.
Project Red Dragon is a blueprint for RAF St Athan's future. It includes rationalisation of the MoD's requirement, a state-of-the-art aircraft maintenance facility for DARA (a 'super-hangar'), and the creation of an aviation business park. The 'super-hangar' will be at the centre of the site, bringing all facilities into a single site, reducing overheads, and enabling process acceleration and improvement.
DARA is introducing a new way of working called Enterprise Resource Planning to link up and streamline processes across DARA - from customer relationship and demand management through to shop floor control. The People Achieving Competitive Edge project has introduced process and product managers, team co-ordinators, team members and industrial technicians, replacing grades and flattening the structure.
Six Sigma is a series of tools and a methodology used to reduce variation and faults in products and processes. (A fault is failing to deliver what an external or internal customer wants.) Six Sigma means having fewer than four faults per million opportunities, with products and processes satisfying the customer 99.99966 per cent of the time.
These initiatives gained DARA last year's People Management (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) award, holding off some stiff competition from major blue-chip organisations en route to the trophy. At the National Training Awards, the company won a Welsh Training Award and a UK-wide National Training Award.
DARA employs staff in many roles. Because its core business is in deep maintenance and repair, technical positions are mainly filled by indentured technicians with an HNC or equivalent in a specialist discipline like mechanical, electrical or airframe engineering. There is a comprehensive employee development scheme for employees who show potential for rapid progression. However, it also needs people to work in areas like administration, management, accounting, facilities management, human resources, driving, stores and security.
The recruitment process for all job vacancies within DARA is managed through the Recruitment and Selection Centre at DARA Sealand, Welsh Road, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2LS. The contact point is Kathryn Barr on 01244 847205; general enquiries are on Tel: 01244 288331 ext. 7746 Fax: 01224 847190