A Robinson R-66 readies for flight in this undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Robinson Helicopter Company).
WASHINGTON — The Army announced it has selected M1 Support Services, an aviation training services specialist based in Texas, to lead the service’s Flight School Next initiative, meant to train the next generation of helo pilots, in a contract worth up to $10 billion over the next three decades.
“Flight School Next delivers a critical improvement in our Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training model. Simply put, it delivers new military helicopter pilots with far better foundational skills,” Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said in an Army release published Thursday.
The announcement is the culmination of a months-long competition, which began with six helicopter manufacturers, some competing as prime contractors and some as subs, gunning to provide the service with curriculum and airframes for its future aviators.
The Army announcement said the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract calls on M1 to “provide aircraft, maintenance, simulators, flight and academic instruction and related support services while enabling the Army to maintain oversight of training standards, safety requirements and operational outcomes.” The contract’s “period of performance” will last up to 26 years, with the first task order covering a three- to four-year period in “support” of the “contractor’s transition.”
