Boeing and Leonardo will partner on a bid to provide the US Army’s new flight training curriculum.
Known as Flight School Next, the programme includes both instructional services, fleet sustainment and a new aircraft to replace the current Airbus Helicopters UH-72A.
The teaming agreement announced on 13 October at the annual Association of the US Army conference in Washington, DC will see Boeing act as prime contractor for a proposal built around Leonardo’s AW119T light-single.
“We are bringing together two industry leaders to offer the army a turnkey, innovative approach to rotary-wing training,” says John Chicoli, senior director for US Army/Marines & Special Operations missions at Boeing Global Services.
Boeing says its Flight School Next proposal will leverage prior experience providing global aircrew training services to AH-64E Apache customers, including live, virtual and constructive simulation support.
Chicoli promises the Boeing-led bid will be a “long-term training solution that increases aviator proficiency, operational and sustainment efficiencies and will deliver measurable value throughout the life of the programme”.
The reveal clears up the open question of who Leonardo would team with on a Flight School Next proposal. In July, the company told FlightGlobal that it was seeking an industrial partner to prepare a bid centred around its TH-73 – the AW119-derivative used by the US Navy (USN) as its primary rotary-wing trainer.
Another candidate for the Leonardo partnership was Lockheed Martin, which told FlightGlobal in May that the company is preparing its own “turnkey” proposal for Flight School Next using an undisclosed third-party aircraft.
Lockheed is similarly leaning on its pedigree as a global provider of military aviation training services, covering both rotary- and fixed-wing platforms.
While Lockheed has not yet revealed which aircraft it plans to feature in its Flight School Next bid, manufacturers including Bell, MD Helicopters and Robinson have all said they plan to compete for the army contract.
Leonardo’s AW119 will likely be a strong offering for the army.
The company has delivered the full complement of 130 AW119T/TH-73s to the USN and now provides sustainment support to that fleet, which is based at NAS Whiting Field in Pensacola, Florida.
That site is less than 125 miles (200km) from the US Army’s aviation training hub at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Leonardo says the close proximity of a mature supply network for the AW119T would provide sustainment benefits to the army.
“The AW119T is a proven platform that already supports US military training every day,” says Clyde Woltman, chief executive of Leonardo Helicopters US.
“With more than 100,000 flight hours accumulated and a sustainment network in place in Florida, Leonardo and Boeing are uniquely positioned to deliver immediate capability and long-term value to the army,” he adds.
The army issued a special procurement notice for Flight School Next on 8 September, with a final call for solutions still in development.
A contract award is currently projected for October 2026, according to procurement documents.
