CAE Provides Initial Flight Training to US Air Force

CAE Defense & Security has been awarded the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Rotary Wing, Introductory Flight Training (IFT-R) contract to support the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The contract provides critical flight training to USAF student pilots as part of the Helicopter Training Next program.

CAE will work in collaboration with industry partners including Bell Textron, Alpha 1, and Navigator Development Group Inc., who will work together to support flying operations, training simulation, academics, and more.

The US$44.5 million initial contract award supports the training of all initial USAF rotary-wing air, ground, and simulation training. The program extends through 2033 with a maximum value of US$110.6 million over the total contract term. The introductory training will be conducted at the CAE Dothan Training Center in Dothan, Alabama, which is also home to the U.S. Army Fixed-Wing Training Services program.

The IFT-R training program will be implemented by CAE using a fleet of Bell 505 Jet Ranger X aircraft specifically configured for AETC’s initial USAF helicopter training. The IFT-R Ground Based Training System leverages advanced simulation and interactive media providing Next-Generation rotary wing training to future aviators.