Balfour Beatty has delivered a £42 million RAF maintenance and repair facility in Oxfordshire.

The contractor was appointed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to build the centre at RAF Brize Norton.

Early stages of the project included levelling the site, diverting underground pipes and cables and installing emergency water storage tanks.

The finished 24,000 sq m hanger includes three separate bays to hold three individual aircraft, particularly the RAF's new A400M Atlas aircraft.Other features include a ground equipment store, engine and tyre bays and a three-storey office and amenities block.

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Overall, 3,200 tonnes of steel were used to build the facility, with the roof housing 600m2 of solar panels to provide up to 70 kilowatts of electrical power.

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) will now complete a six-month 'fit out' of the interior before the building becomes operational early next year.

Denis Williams, DIO Project Manager, said: "The A400M Atlas will be the mainstay of the RAF's air transport fleet so this hangar is a vital facility which will enable the aircraft to be maintained and repaired. I'm delighted to mark the completion of DIO's role in this pan-defence project."

(LM/CD)