US Army Awards $10 Billion Helicopter Training Contract
The US Army is outsourcing initial helicopter pilot training to M1 Support Services to modernize instruction and reduce long-term costs.
The United States Army is outsourcing the first stage of its helicopter pilot training to M1 Support Services, a Texas-based aviation contractor, through a new program called Flight School Next. The contract is valued at up to $10 billion over 26 years and will provide aircraft, simulators, and classroom instruction for 800 to 1,500 new pilots annually.
Based at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the program replaces the traditional model where senior military aviators served as instructors for junior pilots. Army leadership intends to modernize training and improve the foundational stick and rudder skills of new pilots, noting that trainees have become overly reliant on the systems of the current UH-72 Lakota training aircraft.
Clair Gill, Commanding General of the Army's Aviation Center of Excellence, stated that the program delivers a critical improvement to the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training model. She noted that the shift provides new pilots with better foundational skills while offering significant long-term savings to the Army. The US Army will maintain oversight of all follow-on specialized training for various helicopter types.
