M1 Support Services has secured a contract worth up to $10 billion to lead the US Army’s Flight School Next program, inaugurating a modern approach to deliver initial entry training for the military’s rotary-wing pilots.
M1 Support Services has secured a contract worth up to $10 billion to lead the US Army’s Flight School Next program, inaugurating a modern approach to deliver initial entry training for the military’s rotary-wing pilots.
The 26-year deal is anchored in a contractor-owned, contractor-operated model, providing an improved and cost-effective fleet that will undertake the flight-preparatory role of the UH-72 Lakota in service since the 2000s.
The Texas-based firm edged out Bell Textron with its 505 Jet Ranger X, MD Helicopters with its 530F, Boeing and Leonardo with the AW119T, and Enstrom Helicopter with its 480B.
M1’s team includes Robinson Helicopter Company, Quantum Helicopters, General Dynamics Information Technology, and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation.
Washington expects the group to assist approximately 800 to 1,500 aviation crews per year at Fort Rucker, Alabama, during its oversight.
“We are honored to be entrusted with this vital mission,” said George Krivo, CEO and chairman of M1.
“M1 will deliver a fully integrated, innovation rich training solution designed to develop more proficient Army Aviators on time and on budget.”
Robinson R66 as Program Helicopter
The platform proposed by the M1 group is based on Robinson’s 30-foot (9-meter) R66 helicopter, which currently has more than 1,900 aircraft in operation across military and civil flight competency programs.
The system has an empty weight of 1,290 pounds (585 kilograms), a wing diameter of 33 feet (10 meters), and carries up to 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of external cargo.
The R66 flies with a Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft with about 270 horsepower, enabling a top speed of 140 knots (161 miles/259 kilometers per hour), a range of 350 nautical miles (403 miles/648 kilometers), and a service ceiling of 14,000 feet (4,267 meters).
For field courses, it uses Garmin G500H TXi and GTN750 touchscreen flight displays, a 4K video camera, impact-resistant windshields, crash-resistant fuel cells, and a night vision goggle-compatible cockpit.
“By partnering with industry and leveraging a streamlined aircraft fleet and fully integrated modern training system, Flight School Next ensures we will continue producing highly capable aviators prepared to dominate the future fight,” said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
