US Army picks Robinson R66 for new helicopter training contract

The US Army has selected M1 Support Services to run a new initial helicopter pilot training program under a contract that could be worth up to $10 billion over 26 years, according to the Army. The program, called Flight School Next, will replace the Airbus UH-72 Lakota as the Army's primary training helicopter with the turbine-powered Robinson R66.

The training will take place at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and is expected to prepare between 800 and 1,500 new Army helicopter pilots annually, compared with roughly 1,250 trained there each year at present, the Army said.

Under the arrangement, M1 will own and operate the training aircraft and associated systems rather than the Army owning the fleet, providing flight instruction, academic instruction, simulators, maintenance and other support under one contract. The Army said the restructured program is meant to give new pilots stronger basic flying skills while lowering the long-term cost of initial rotary-wing training.

Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said the new model would improve the foundational skills of incoming helicopter pilots.

M1's team for the program includes Robinson Helicopter, Quantum Helicopters, General Dynamics Information Technology and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation. The company won the competition over a bid from Bell, according to the Army.

The R66 is a five-seat helicopter powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft engine and uses Robinson's established two-blade rotor design. The award marks a significant expansion of Robinson's role in military pilot training.