Features Safety & Training
CAE awarded $455M contract to train U.S. Army helicopter pilots

CAE has been awarded a 12-year contract from General Dynamics Information Technology to support Flight School Training Support Services at Fort Novosel in Alabama.

The contract, valued at US$455M and to be led by CAE Defense & Security, supports the recent US$1.7B award to General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) for simulation capabilities and training support services to prepare initial entry-level and graduate-level rotary wing flight training at Fort Novosel.

Under the terms of the contract, CAE will build and deliver new full-flight simulators for the CH-47F and UH-60M platforms to meet the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence’s rotary‑wing simulation services requirements. In addition to owning and operating the new training devices, CAE will also implement CH-47F and UH‑60M software configurations for reconfigurable collective training devices.

Located at the U.S Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE), the Flight School Training Support Services (FSTSS) program represents the world’s largest helicopter simulation training program, replacing the former Flight School XXI (FSXXI) program, which supported simulation and training for nearly two decades.

The FSXXI program trains approximately 3,900 Army aviators annually, bringing Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) and graduate-level pilots, crews and units to a higher level of proficiency.

“Proven U.S. Army training success at our Dothan Training Center for fixed-wing aviators and the expertise delivered through Flight School XXI and Advanced Helicopter Flight Training Services at Fort Novosel allows CAE to expand our trusted training solutions with the FSTSS program,” says Daniel Gelston, Group President, CAE Defense & Security.