What Happened
Army Overhauls Rotary Wing Training with Single Engine Helicopter
The US Army has selected M1 Support Services and its partner Robinson Helicopters to run Flight School Next, a overhaul of rotary-wing training, with the Robinson R66 turbine helicopter. The contract is worth up to $10 billion and could run 26 years. The R66 will replace the twin-engine Airbus UH-72 Lakota, which has been used for training since 2015. The Army’s decision to move to a single-engine helicopter may be driven by cost considerations, as the R66 is cheaper to buy and operate. This development was first reported by various sources, including The Aviationist and Defense One.