The Legacy Continues: Military Trainers of the Past and Future

Bell proudly delivers high-performing aircraft to the military, ensuring our warfighters can rely on them to complete their missions. From iconic aircraft such as the UH-1 Iroquois (aka Huey), the AH-1 Cobra, and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior to the next-generation of military aviation, the MV-75 FLRAA, Bell has demonstrated itself to be a trusted military partner. However, Bell’s combat aircraft are not the only ones that deliver tremendous capabilities. Over the past 70 years, Bell has delivered several training helicopters to the U.S. Military, supporting the services as they transform student pilots into aviators through Rotary Wing Flight Training.

The H-13 Sioux served as the U.S. Army’s first primary trainer. The UH-1 “Huey” quickly became an icon during the Vietnam War where it supported troop transport and MEDEVAC operations and forever changed the battlefield with rotary-wing capabilities. The UH-1H was utilized at Fort Rucker as the primary training aircraft for many years.

The Army’s TH-67 Creek remains the Department of Defense’s longest-serving training aircraft and flew for more than 1,915,000 hours. It delivered tremendous results for more than 25,000 pilots as they developed the fundamental skills needed to effectively train and operate their advanced combat aircraft. The Navy’s PMA-273 program office has leveraged the TH-57 Sea Ranger as its primary training helicopter since 1981. It has been a cornerstone for Helicopter Training Squadrons including the HT-28 Hellions. Over 33,000 pilots have earned their “Wings of Gold” with the TH-57 accumulating over 3 million flight hours.

“The TH-57 has been a phenomenal rotary-wing trainer and has served the Naval Air Training Command with distinction for more than 44 years,” said Commander James Gelsinon, Commanding Officer of Helicopter Training Squadron TWENTY EIGHT (HT-28). “Since entering service in 1981, it has been the foundation for every Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and allied nation maritime helicopter and tiltrotor pilot. The TH-57B and TH-57C have logged an astounding 3.32 million flight hours and helped produce more than 33,800 winged naval aviators. Every rotary-wing and tiltrotor pilot in the sea services has flown the TH-57, solidifying its legacy as a cornerstone of naval aviation training.”

For over 40 years, The TH-57 has enabled HT-28 to produce aviators with the confidence and skills needed to seamlessly transition from trainer to advanced combat aircraft. The TH-57 sets the standard for purpose-built trainers that are reliable, safe, and highly capable of supporting the demands of robust curriculums necessary for military aviators to undergo rotary wing flight training.

As Bell prepares to respond to an upcoming solicitation from the U.S. Army for Flight School Next (FSN), Bell looks to continue this legacy as a trusted military trainer provider with the purpose-built Bell 505. The Bell 505 represents a modern training aircraft that was designed and influenced by previous trainers, specifically the TH-67/TH-57 family of aircraft which were Bell 206 variants.

Building upon key features from the 206L4 such as the drive train, blades, and other dynamic components, its autorotational handling characteristics and integrated glass cockpit make the Bell 505 a modern-day incarnation of its earlier predecessors. This proven platform is the most versatile, capable, light helicopter in its class.

The 505 represents how Bell assesses customers to constantly evolve our aircraft to meet their requirements. This process ensures we develop capabilities that are highly beneficial to military rotary-wing training programs.

As the U.S. Army seeks to revamp its rotary-wing training curriculum under the Flight School Next program, Bell is developing a comprehensive and high-performance training solution which includes the Bell 505 helicopter. This solution will go beyond just the aircraft to deliver modern training technology and leverage Bell’s longstanding reputation as the global leader in training civilian and military pilots to safely operate in demanding mission environments.

Bell’s commitment to supporting our warfighters is evident in the last seven decades of delivering reliable aircraft that shepherd student pilots through the most critical phases of becoming capable aviators – their earliest primary training. Bell set a standard for highly reliable aircraft that allow student pilots to safely learn the skills necessary to effectively operate advanced aircraft in dynamic combat environments. As we look ahead to the next opportunity for our purpose-built military trainer, Flight School Next will benefit from the vault of lessons learned from our array of iconic military aircraft and training standards.