Bell, M1 and Lockheed Martin have been chosen for the subsequent part of the U.S. Military’s Flight Faculty Subsequent competitors. Let’s see what every proposal brings to the competitors.
Bell Textron introduced on Jan. 5, 2026, that it has been chosen to advance to the subsequent part of the U.S. Military’s Flight Faculty Subsequent competitors, which can choose a alternative for the UH-72 Lakota helicopter. On Jan. 8, Breaking Protection reported that M1 and Lockheed Martin are additionally advancing to the subsequent part.
The U.S. Military instantly notified the businesses concerned, however no public announcement was made. Bell’s answer is predicated on the B-505 and M1’s is predicated on the Robinson R66, whereas Lockheed Martin has not but introduced its answer.
Leonardo (in partnership with Boeing), Airbus, MD Helicopters and Enstrom Helicopters have been additionally within the run, nonetheless no assertion has been revealed by the businesses. Leonardo and Boeing proposed an answer primarily based on the TH-73, Airbus on the UH-72, MD on the MD-530F and Enstrom on the 480B.
Flight Faculty Subsequent
The U.S. Military launched a ultimate name for options for the Flight Faculty Subsequent (FSN) program in December 2025, as a part of the Military Aviation Coaching Business Options Opening (CSO). FSN will form the way forward for the Preliminary Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) Coaching Program at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the place all Military’s helicopter pilots are skilled.
Within the discover, the service stated it’s in search of for the primary time “a Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO) answer utilizing commercially obtainable providers and tools on a single contract to offer annual coaching for 900 -1500 rotary wing pilots.” Notably, the contractor will likely be required “to coach pilots to a U.S. Military normal equal to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) business helicopter pilot certification, together with single engine plane, elements, upkeep, instructors (each educational and flight), and simulation (if required).”
The request just isn’t informal, because the service intends “to extend the proficiency of U.S. Military aviators utilizing commercially obtainable tools and instruction practices.” The pilots, upon commencement, might want to “be proficient with terrain flight, terrain flight navigation, and tactical flight mission planning, and conversant in multi-aircraft operations and night time operations,” and “ready for superior plane coaching within the AH-64E, UH-60M, CH-47F, C-12U and the MV-75.”
The brand new helicopter will substitute the Airbus UH-72 Lakota, which grew to become the first coaching plane at Fort Rucker in 2015 and in December 2025 surpassed a million flight hours supporting the IERW coaching program. Initially, the Military determined to maneuver from a single-engine coach – the Bell TH-67 Creek – to a contemporary, twin-engine plane that extra carefully resembles the flight traits of an operational plane.
Now, Military officers stated the Lakota is just too superior and too costly for the coaching function, attributing this partially to its dual-engine design. Airbus nonetheless refuted the Military’s feedback.
Anyway, the decision for options now mentions among the many first necessities that the brand new helicopter must be a single engine design. The helicopter might want to accommodate a flying scholar pilot, an observing scholar pilot and an teacher, in addition to have the ability to assist night time operations, with Evening Imaginative and prescient Google (NVG) being a desired however not obligatory requirement.
Among the many necessities are additionally with Mode S Transponder and Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In and Out, and UHF and VHF radios.
Bell Textron
Bell was the primary to announce the choice to advance to the second part of the Flight Faculty Subsequent competitors. The corporate has a 70-year historical past in coaching Military pilots, going from the H-13 Sioux – the Military’s first major coach – in 1946, to the UH-1H Huey and the TH-67 Creek.
The answer proposed for FSN is predicated on the Bell 505 and the Bell Coaching Academy (BTA). The corporate describes it as a “turnkey answer,” which “will successfully allow the Military to rework their scholar pilots into the subsequent technology of Aviation Warfighters.”
“We’re honored to maneuver ahead within the Military’s Flight Faculty Subsequent program,” stated Jeffrey Schloesser, senior vp of strategic pursuits at Bell. “With Bell’s intensive historical past in army flight coaching, the confirmed Bell 505, and the experience of our teammates, we’re assured that our turnkey answer will assist the Military in creating the subsequent technology of Aviation Warfighters.”
The Bell 505 international fleet, since its introduction in 2017, counts over 500 helicopters which surpassed 300,000 flight hours. The sort is already utilized by a number of civilian flight colleges and options an excessive inertia rotor system – which gives further response time and improved traits throughout autorotation, superior avionics and a flexible open cabin design.
M1 Help Providers
M1 Help Providers it participating within the competitors as prime contractor in partnership with Robinson Helicopters. M1 is already working throughout the Military’s coaching, because it gives flight coaching, simulation and upkeep for AH-64, UH-60, CH-47 and UH-72 helicopters, in addition to the Air Power’s TH-1s.
Their answer for Flight Faculty Subsequent is predicated on the Robinson R66 helicopter, the corporate’s first turbine helicopter primarily based upon the piston-engined R44. In manufacturing since 2011, the helicopter noticed extensive success with over 1,500 R66s in service worldwide.
“Greater than 1,900 Robinson helicopters are used for civil and army flight coaching packages worldwide,” stated Lt. Gen. Doug Gabram, U.S. Military (Retired), M1 Strategic Advisor. “Protected, rugged, and dependable, it’s the proper coaching plane for the Military and gives decrease working prices than any competitor.”
“Along with R66 helicopters, our holistic answer for Flight Faculty Subsequent options modern coaching and simulation applied sciences which might be actually transformative,” added George Krivo, CEO of M1 Help Providers. “M1 will present high-quality pilot coaching at a extra reasonably priced value for our companions.”
M1 and Robinson spotlight an “superb steadiness of security, efficiency, and affordability” with this helicopter. Among the many options are a full glass cockpit with NVG compatibility and built-in 4k cockpit digicam for debriefing college students.
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is the third prime contractor to be chosen for the second part of Flight Faculty Subsequent, nonetheless it has but to announce its proposed answer. In keeping with reviews, the announcement would possibly arrive by the tip of the month, and would contain a third-party helicopter.
Individually, the corporate stated that its answer will construct on the expertise with the Australia AIR5428 Pilot Coaching System, the Singapore Primary Wings Course, and the UK Army Flying Coaching System (UKMFTS). It will permit to optimize efficiency, enhance coaching high quality and improve security, says Lockheed Martin.
Little is understood, nonetheless, about what the corporate would possibly suggest. An announcement additionally spotlight the expertise with comparable Business Options Opening frameworks just like the UKMFTS, which might be handed on the Military’s new coaching system.
“We perceive the advanced coaching operations are extremely dependent upon sustainment and provide chain,” says Lockheed Martin. “Our answer will embrace a U.S. designed, constructed and manufactured coaching plane that’s supported by a resilient U.S. provide chain. We will even convey the newest confirmed applied sciences in aviation coaching to the coed studying expertise in our Flight Faculty Subsequent answer.”
Leonardo and Boeing
Leonardo has partnered with Boeing, which can act as prime contractor, to suggest to the U.S. Military an answer primarily based on the AW119T coaching helicopter. Notably, the helicopter is identical upon which is predicated the U.S. Navy’s TH-73 Thrasher operated at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Area, Florida, solely 75 nautical miles away from Fort Rucker.
In keeping with the businesses, this system will likely be structured round a proficiency-based, phase-driven mannequin that blends in-aircraft coaching with superior simulation and digital teacher pilot applied sciences. Moreover, cloud-based progress monitoring would allow adaptive coaching tailor-made to every scholar’s tempo, maximizing flight hours and bettering the coaching output.
Boeing World Providers gives worldwide coaching and mission system assist for the AH-64 Apache fleet, together with reside, digital, and constructive simulation, cockpit process trainers, and teacher improvement packages. Leonardo, in the meantime, has intensive manufacturing and sustainment infrastructure for the AW119T and its variants within the U.S., together with a completely operational assist facility and manufacturing capability to satisfy future Military demand.
“We’re bringing collectively two business leaders to supply the Military a turnkey, modern strategy to rotary-wing coaching with an built-in, long-term coaching answer that will increase aviator readiness, operational and sustainment efficiencies and can ship measurable worth all through the lifetime of this system,” stated John Chicoli, senior director, U.S. Military/Marines & Particular Operations/Missions, Boeing World Providers. “The AW119T is a confirmed platform that already helps U.S. army coaching day-after-day. With greater than 100,000 flight hours accrued and a sustainment community in place in Florida, Leonardo and Boeing are uniquely positioned to ship rapid functionality and long-term worth to the Military by Flight Faculty Subsequent,” stated Clyde Woltman, CEO, Leonardo Helicopters U.S.
Airbus
Airbus is the producer of the present major coach, the UH-72 Lakota. The sort was first launched as utility helicopter by the U.S. Military, earlier than being adopted additionally for the brand new function.
The corporate is now proposing once more the UH-72 as the first coach, though its dual-engine design is in distinction with the necessities set within the name for options, which mentions a single engine requirement. With the expertise accrued within the coaching function since 2015, Airbus believes it could proceed to offer rotary wing scholar aviators with the required fundamentals to progress to extra superior helicopters.
It’s unclear if the corporate has acquired a notification by the Military for the second part of Flight Faculty Subsequent, and no official assertion is presently obtainable. Airbus beforehand stated that over 8,000 college students have been skilled on the Lakota.
MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters pitched its MD 530F as the brand new major coach. The corporate describes it as “a purpose-built, combat-relevant coaching plane that instantly displays the mission calls for of Military Aviation.”
MD highlights the 530F’s totally articulated, five-bladed rotor system, which “gives dealing with traits that carefully replicate these of the UH-60M Black Hawk, AH-64E Apache, and CH-47F Chinook – permitting college students to coach in a platform that appears like the true factor from the beginning.” The helicopter is predicated on the enduring 500 collection airframe, which was additionally constructed by Boeing to equip the a hundred and sixtieth SOAR (Particular Operations Aviation Regiment) “Evening Stalkers” with the AH-6 and MH-6.
“The Military is investing in its future warfighters, and which means delivering coaching instruments that really replicate operational actuality,” stated Ryan Weeks, President & CEO at MD Helicopters. “The MD 530F isn’t just prepared for that mission – it was constructed for it.”
Enstrom Helicopters
Enstrom Helicopters has good expertise within the civilian and army coaching, as its helicopters have seen a widespread distribution because of their reliability, security, and low working prices. For Flight Faculty Subsequent, Enstrom is proposing the 480B, which was designed to satisfy the demanding specs of the U.S. Military.
The corporate says its purpose was to offer “an especially secure plane enabling the scholars to deal with flying.” Amongst its options are an all mechanical management system, extensive sturdy touchdown skids, unrestricted tail rotor system, glass cockpit and totally duplicated controls.
