The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £27m, 10-year IT contract for managing the global air movements of troops and cargo.

The Swift2Move system will allow staff to manage RAF passenger and freight bookings, aircraft loadsheet calculations and flight check-in at all operational locations worldwide.

The system, designed by a Thales-led consortiumt with sub-contractors Fujitsu Services and Mastek, will be in service by mid-2009.

Swift2Move is both user-friendly and appropriate for use in a military environment, said Air Vice-Marshal Matthew Wiles, dDirector general joint supply chain in the Defence Equipment & Support Organisation.

"We now have an application that combines an easy-to-use system from the commercial world with the robustness and security needed for operating in a military environment," he said.

"The solution provides a step change in capability for the Royal Air Force by enabling a real-time, common picture air logistics solution from the foxhole to HQ."