Schweizer Sees S-333 Helicopter Fitting U.S. Army Training Need

DALLAS and LONDON–Schweizer RSG, a company formed to produce the Schweizer S-300 family of light helicopters after acquiring them from Sikorsky, has found itself being courted for a potential U.S. Army training program.

The Fort Worth-based company, which acquired the Schweizer helicopters from Sikorsky in 2018, is working with potential partners on a bid for the Army’s Flight School Next initiative. Schweizer could eventually replace the service’s twin-engine UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) that is currently used for rotary-wing training at the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Novosel, Alabama.

Although Schweizer is currently only producing the piston engine S-300C and S-300CBI for commercial customers, there is considerable interest in resurrecting the S-333 turbine light helicopter for the U.S. Army requirement.

“We feel like the Triple-Three [S-333] is a great product, and it is something I think the U.S. Army would really appreciate,” David Horton, Schweizer’s CEO, told Aviation Week at the Verticon rotorcraft industry gathering in Dallas on March 12.

Horton said he was working with several unnamed companies on proposals, but Schweizer would not be a prime, as it is not “nearly big enough.” Instead, it would act as a supplier to a prime integrator, providing the ground-based elements of the training system and the logistics.

“It’s a flying classroom. That is what is was designed for,” Horton said of the S-333. “All three occupants see the same thing. There are no obstructions.”

The S-333 is a 1.1 metric-ton, single-engine light helicopter. It was developed by Schweizer in the late 1990s and certified in 2000, building on the company’s experience with the Schweizer 330. It also formed the basis of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8A Firescout rotary-wing uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for the U.S. Navy, albeit fitted with a four-blade main rotor. The aircraft has conventional controls but no hydraulics, making it low cost and easy to maintain, Horton says. The only difference is that it is more complex to assemble, requiring a seven-position assembly line to put it together. By comparison, the S-300C and S-300CBI do not need a production line.

Schweizer has not built an S-333 since resurrecting production of Schweizer products in 2021. Horton says the company would require assistance to get production systems primed for the aircraft.

The U.S. Army would also need an instrument flight rules avionics suite so that students can begin to learn complex systems. Horton says the company is already working with some potential vendors.

Once a prime is in place, “we’ll put the wheels in motion and start production,” Horton says.

The U.S. Army is no stranger to flying Schweizer products. The S-300 family of helicopters were derived from the Hughes 269, known to the Army as the TH-55 Osage. Nearly 800 examples of the TH-55 were built for the Army for training and liaison duties.

The S-333 is one of several turbine helicopters that could be offered for the U.S. Army requirement. Other competitors include Bell with its 505 JetRanger X, Robinson with the R66, Enstrom with the 480B, and Leonardo with the AW119. The AW119 is already operated by the U.S. Navy as the TH-73 Thrasher. An industry day for bidders is being planned for August.

Schweizer is continuing to rebuild interest in the S-300 family since restoring production in 2021. But it has been challenged by FAA regulations concerning crash-resistant fuel systems that kept the aircraft out of the U.S. market until new fuel systems were designed and certified. That work is now complete, and the company is delivering aircraft to U.S.-based flying schools. Of particular interest to Schweizer is breaking into the Australian cattle mustering market, where Robinson platforms currently dominate.

Horton said there around 1,000 helicopters being used in Australia for that task alone. Several sales have already been secured from there.