JUNE 9, 2025 – To maintain air superiority, project global power and ensure national security, the U.S. Air Force requires a consistent supply of trained aviators—specifically, 1,500 pilots per year. Achieving this goal has been a persistent struggle prompting Air Education and Training Command officials to develop a comprehensive solution that includes optimizing existing resources. This effort led to a transformative overhaul of Undergraduate Pilot Training, or UPT, which has evolved into the Future of Undergraduate Pilot Training initiative.
The future of pilot training
FUPT boldly transforms pilot training by integrating commercial flight programs through Educational Service Agreements, optimizing the T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon curriculum and utilizing XR technologies and modern training platforms, particularly the T-7A Red Hawk. AETC partners with select aviation programs in Texas, Arizona, Florida and Georgia leverage commercial instruction, instilling foundational aviation skills, such as those required to earn Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificates, instrument ratings, and multi-engine ratings. They employ an FAA Part 141 syllabus, which AETC refers to as Initial Pilot Training. The military-specific training then focuses on instilling and qualifying on military and combat-relevant competencies.
Brig. Gen. Matthew Leard, AETC’s director of Plans, Programs and Requirements, stated, “The foundation we’re building with commercial aviation programs is paying dividends. Beyond learning the basics of flying, students immerse themselves in aircraft with modern cockpits preparing them for their future assigned aircraft; and they fly in more complex airspaces at these locations, setting them up to be even more successful in operational squadrons.”
The first group to complete the IPT model graduated in September 2024 and transitioned to a modified T-6A UPT phase at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.
“Thus far, IPT shows success with 29 students graduating and earning their wings,” Leard added. “The program is still in its early phases with robust data collection ongoing, and the team will continue to iterate to ensure FUPT produces the highest quality military pilots.”
The 19th Air Force employs a data-driven competency mapping process to optimize the updated UPT curriculum focusing on quality graduates. Identifying essential skills at each training stage reduced T-6A training days by 31% and accelerated student progress while maintaining desired quality.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Kreuder, 19th Air Force commander, remarked, “By adjusting each phase of our pilot training syllabi through competency mapping, we have introduced objective rigor into pilot training that better prepares our future warfighters for their operational units. Further, by embracing student-centered learning, we can opt them for more advanced objectives earlier if their performance warrants.”
In the new model, pilots will earn a private pilot certificate, instrument, and multi-engine ratings in approximately 120 flying hours within a maximum of 139 calendar days. Pilots then complete military specific flight training, earning wings after 108 days—55 hours in the T-6A and 50 hours in simulators.
Leard explained, “Prior to implementing this new program, our fundamental challenge was getting enough flying hours in the T-6A to meet our goal. This new program ultimately provides our pilots with more flight time than the legacy system while exposing them to a greater number of aviation competencies.”
On May 16, Columbus AFB graduated the first students from IPT under the modified T-6A program.
Leard noted, “This graduating class is unlike any other; they weathered the leading edge of a ‘true proof of concept’ to meet or exceed all training standards.”
Pilot Training Ecosystem
The current pilot training ecosystem relies on the T-6A Texan II, T-38C Talon (for those selected for fighter and bomber aircraft), and key bases at Columbus, Vance, Laughlin and Sheppard AFBs.
Student pilots begin their military aviation training on the T-6A Texan II, a single-engine turboprop. After earning their wings, new pilots selected for fighter and bomber aircraft progress to the T-38C Talon, a 60-year-old supersonic jet trainer.
However, the aging T-38C fleet faces increasing maintenance and technological challenges—issues that the T-7A will address. New pilots selected for mobility, special operations, command and control, or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft proceed directly to their aircraft-specific training.
Bolstering Near-Term Readiness
The T-6A fleet readiness plays a crucial role in the early success of FUPT. As FUPT implementation begins, Air Force UPT bases must prioritize consistent sortie generation to meet their pilot production goal of approximately 425 pilots each year at Vance, Laughlin, and Columbus AFBs.
To fully realize FUPT’s potential, each of the four UPT bases must consistently achieve an average of 75 student sorties daily, according to Leard.
“Meeting pilot production goals is essential to maintaining a sustainable and experienced force, which supports the Air Force’s capability to execute its global mission,” Leard stated. “Daily sortie rates, ranging from 70 to 110 across our installations, are critical to ensuring AETC meets its annual pilot production targets of approximately 425 new pilots at each of the three traditional UPT bases.”
AETC’s FUPT overhaul is on track to produce 1,500 active duty, Reserve, Guard, and international pilots annually starting in FY2026.
Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs