The single-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract has a 26-year period of performance and covers Initial Entry Rotary Wing training. Flight School Next will use a contractor-owned, contractor-operated model intended to improve student proficiency and reduce training costs.
“We are honored to be entrusted with this vital mission,” said George Krivo, Chairman and CEO of M1. “M1 will deliver a fully integrated, innovation rich training solution designed to develop more proficient Army Aviators on time and on budget.”
M1 will use its Flight School First training and simulation ecosystem, combining AI-enabled adaptive learning, advanced simulation, immersive virtual training and proficiency-based instruction. Flight training will use Robinson R66 helicopters alongside equipment and training systems provided by the contractor.
The M1-led team includes Robinson Helicopter Company, Quantum Helicopters, General Dynamics Information Technology and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation. The partners will provide capabilities spanning flight training, simulation, helicopter manufacturing, information technology and aviation education.
A major objective of Flight School Next is to reduce the cost of initial rotary-wing training. Public estimates cited in the additional report put the R66’s hourly operating cost at about 50% below that of the UH-72 Lakota currently used for basic Army helicopter training.
The planned change also addresses how student pilots prepare for more demanding operational helicopters. The report said the UH-72 can tolerate pilot errors that may later make transition to aircraft including the AH-64E Apache and UH-60M Black Hawk more difficult.
Under current plans, the Army will begin gradually reducing the UH-72’s use in initial pilot training between 2029 and 2032. Around half of the Airbus-built fleet is expected to move to National Guard units or support specialized training, with the Lakota scheduled to leave the basic training role after 2032.
Flight School Next will shift the Army’s initial helicopter training toward a commercial aircraft and contractor-operated model supported by simulation and digital learning. The long-term contract gives M1 responsibility for a training pipeline expected to produce hundreds of new Army helicopter pilots each year.
