U.S. aerospace giant Boeing and Italian firm Leonardo are uniting to offer a contractor-owned, contractor-operated solution for the U.S. Army as the service embarks on an effort to revamp its flight school, the companies announced Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington.
The two aerospace leaders are going to submit an offering to the Army’s Flight School Next program aimed at creating a more flexible and scalable approach to rotary-wing training focused on going back to the basics — particularly using a single-engine helicopter.
The Army continues to experience catastrophic aviation accidents as it launches a major overhaul of how it trains new pilots. This includes rethinking the type of aircraft used for training, along with a likely shift to a contractor-owned, contractor-operated, or COCO, schoolhouse.
In 2020, the Army commissioned a study through Boston Consulting Group that determined the service could save “hundreds of millions of dollars” by transitioning to a single-engine trainer.
An additional study with a College of William & Mary MBA fellowship program determined that a COCO model would be preferable to the current government-owned, government-operated method.
The Army wants to move fast and has already issued a draft request for proposals. Its plan is to issue a final request for proposals soon and then evaluate proposals in 2026, according to Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commander of Army Aviation Center of Excellence Command at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The service would like to move out on a solution in early fiscal 2027, Gill said earlier this year.
Boeing has a long history in Army aviation. The company supplies both the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and the CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter to the service.
The companies believe that the combination of Boeing’s experience and Leonardo’s AW119T training helicopter presents a strong solution for a complete training package.
“We are bringing together two industry leaders to offer the Army a turnkey, innovative approach to rotary-wing training with an integrated, long-term training solution that increases aviator proficiency, operational and sustainment efficiencies and will deliver measurable value throughout the life of the program,” John Chicoli, senior director for U.S. Army, Marines & Special Operations/Missions at Boeing Global Services, said in a statement.
Boeing already offers AH-64 Apache fleet training around the world that includes live, virtual and constructive simulation, cockpit procedure trainers and instructor development programs, according to the statement. Boeing said its program management and systems integration expertise also give it a solid foundation for leading complex, long-duration training efforts like Flight School Next.
Leonardo’s single-engine trainer has logged more than 100,000 flight hours, including over 16,000 hours under instrument flight rules, and 40,000 touchdown autorotations, according to the statement. The company currently supports 130 AW119Ts flown by the U.S. Navy near Fort Rucker.
The team’s proposal goes beyond aircraft delivery. Boeing and Leonardo plan to offer “a multi-faceted service offering to increase flight training hours, skill proficiency and deliver a flexible, scalable training model over the life of the contract,” the statement reads.
Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.
