Branch Looks to Revamp Trainer Fleet, Flight Instruction, and Simulator Use

Under its Flight School Next initiative, the US Army is looking to completely revamp its helicopter training programs. This could include replacing its well-loved UH-72A Lakotas, bringing in new instruction methodologies, and introducing additional simulator training.

The Army currently uses the twin-engine UH-72A Lakota as its primary training aircraft, a platform it has relied on since 2015. While the Lakota has been praised for its performance and safety, some senior Army leaders now say it might be too good. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said the UH-72 “almost flies itself,” and that it might be getting in the way of teaching pilots how to actually fly.

“We want to go to a simple, single-engine, basic helicopter, so that our pilots, when they come out of flight school, they are expert pilots,” he stated. “We will teach them to be integrators and flight integrators on the back end of that, but we want them to be masters of their craft, of being able to fly a helicopter the old-fashioned way.”

To speed up the transition, the Army is using a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) rather than the traditional Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) process. A five-month bidding window is now open, with Phase 1 proposals due by October 31.

The solicitation itself is relatively broad and leaves room for interpretation. It invites industry to provide “academic instruction, flight instruction, training aids and devices, simulation (if required), aircraft, aircraft parts, and aircraft maintenance.” So, if you’ve got a fleet of helicopters and know how to teach people to fly them, now’s your chance.

Possible contenders for this effort include Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, MD Helicopters, and Robinson. Each of these manufacturers has participated in previous Army market surveys or expressed interest in future trainer contracts in some form.

Army leaders also hinted that hybrid solutions might be considered, with a focus on easing the training gap between basic trainers and more advanced aircraft like the Apache or Blackhawk. In the meantime, the UH-72A continues flying—still perfectly capable, even if a little too much so.

FMI: www.army.mil