U.S. Army to Outsource Helicopter Pilot Training to Private Company

The U.S. Army will outsource the initial training of military pilots to private contractor M1 Support Services.

The U.S. Department of War announced the contract.

Under the Flight School Next program, the company will train future Army helicopter pilots and provide aircraft, maintenance, simulators, flight training and academic instruction.

Training will take place at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Each year, the private contractor will train 800-1,500 pilots. The U.S. Army will retain control over training standards, safety requirements and training outcomes.

For the initial flight-training phase, M1 will use Robinson R66 light single-engine helicopters, which will replace the UH-72 Lakota.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the U.S. Air Force had awarded a contract to a private company to train F-35 fighter pilots.

Private Companies in U.S. Military Pilot Training

The use of private contractors in military pilot training in the United States has a long history.

Traditionally, private companies helped provide military aviation training by maintaining aircraft, operating simulators and handling logistics, but did not directly conduct flight training for cadets. One notable example is DynCorp International, founded in 1946, which provided aviation services to the U.S. government for decades.

In addition to M1 Support Services, the United States has developed an entire ecosystem of private companies that have participated in military pilot training for decades, primarily for the Air Force, Navy and Army. The Canadian company CAE has become the largest and one of the most influential companies in this market.

In 2021, CAE made a major acquisition of L3Harris Technologies’ military training division for $1.05 billion. The deal covered three key assets: Doss Aviation, a provider of initial flight training for the U.S. Air Force; AMI, a manufacturer of simulation equipment; and Link Simulation & Training, one of the leading providers of military training solutions in the United States.

After the deal was completed, CAE became a prime contractor or key subcontractor in a number of programs, including SCARS, the U.S. Air Force’s single simulator architecture; the F-16 simulator training program; F/A-18 aircrew training systems for the Navy and Marine Corps; the Air Force’s initial flight training program; training for operators of the ground-based strategic deterrent GBSD system; and a training system for B-2 bombers.