US Army Selects Robinson R66 for $10 Billion Helicopter Training Program
The US Army has chosen the Robinson R66 as its primary helicopter trainer under a major overhaul of initial helicopter pilot training.
### New Helicopter Training Program Aims to Improve Pilot Skills and Reduce Costs The US Army has selected the Robinson R66 as its next primary helicopter trainer under a contract with M1 Support Services worth up to $10 billion over 26 years. This move is part of the Army's Flight School Next competition, a major overhaul of initial helicopter pilot training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The Army has chosen to adopt a contractor-owned, contractor-operated system for training, rather than relying on Army-owned primary training helicopters. This approach is expected to produce pilots with stronger basic flying skills while reducing the long-term cost of initial rotary-wing training. Flight School Next consolidates several aviation training functions under a single contractor and calls for commercially available aircraft, simulators, flight instruction, academic instruction, maintenance, and other support. The program is expected to train between 800 and 1,500 Army helicopter pilots each year, with the goal of delivering new military helicopter pilots with far better foundational skills. According to Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, Commanding General of the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence, Flight School Next delivers a critical improvement in the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training model. The program is intended to produce pilots with stronger basic flying skills while reducing the long-term cost of initial rotary-wing training. The award gives Robinson a major new military training role, putting the five-seat R66 at the center of the Army's initial helicopter training program. The R66 is powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft engine and is based on Robinson's familiar two-blade rotor system. M1's team includes Robinson Helicopter, Quantum Helicopters, General Dynamics Information Technology, and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation. The company beat out Bell in the final stage of the Flight School Next competition, with Bell proposing the Bell 505 as its training platform. The Army has stated that Flight School Next will replace multiple existing training contracts with a single integrated system. However, the Army did not disclose in its award announcement how many R66 helicopters will ultimately be delivered.
