The US Army has awarded M1 Support Services the Flight School Next contract, a deal worth up to $10 billion to train initial entry rotary-wing pilots at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The single-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract runs for up to 26 years and covers work intended to modernise the Army’s helicopter training pipeline while lowering costs.
Flight School Next will provide training for about 800 to 1,500 Army pilots a year under a contractor-owned, contractor-operated model. M1’s approach centres on its Flight School First platform, which combines adaptive learning, simulation, immersive virtual training and proficiency-based instruction with Robinson R66 helicopters.
The Army picked M1 after a competitive process that also involved Lockheed Martin and Bell. The award was announced on 13 August, with follow-up coverage indicating the formal notice was released two days later. The contract is tied to the Army’s broader effort to improve pilot proficiency and refresh rotary-wing instruction at Fort Rucker.