From: Harold Brattland <habrattland@arvig.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 8:40 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Aviation Week :: U.S. Army Selects R66 Helo Offer From M1 For New Trainer
Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/us-army-selects-r66-helo-offer-m1-new-trainer
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U.S. Army Selects R66 Helo Offer From M1 For New Trainer
Steve Trimble August 14, 2026
R66
Credit: M1 Support Services
M1 Support Services has landed a 26-year contract worth up to $10 billion to train future U.S. Army helicopter pilots using the single-turbine Robinson R66 aircraft, the service said on Aug. 13.
The selection for Flight School Next ends a two-year competition to replace the Airbus UH-72A Lakota light-twin helicopter as the Army’s initial entry rotary wing, following a short-lived tenure at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The Army selected the UH-72 to replace the Bell TH-67 Creek in 2016, citing the aircraft’s advanced cockpit and flight controls as an ideal platform to teach a new generation of pilots who also needed to be mission system operators. But the Army decided to reverse course two years ago and acquire a cheaper aircraft that could better hone a pilot’s flying skills.
“Simply put, it delivers new military helicopter pilots with far better foundational skills,” said Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. “The fact that it delivers this increased capability at a significant long-term savings to our Army is a great added benefit.”
The Army reduced the Flight School Next competition to three companies in April after eliminating a bid from Lockheed Martin. That left proposals by M1, another R66-based offer from an undisclosed company understood to be AAR, and a bid from Bell offering the 505 light-single helicopter.
In addition to providing the aircraft, the Flight School Next program consolidates four different contracts associated with pilot training, including helicopter maintenance, simulators and classroom materials. M1, which already maintains about 500 aircraft at Fort Rucker, assembled a team comprised of General Dynamics Information Technology, Robinson, Quantum Helicopters and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation.
