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How are air forces preparing pilots for the complexity of modern warfare?

As advanced threats, multi-domain operations, and next-generation aircraft redefine the battlespace, military flight training is undergoing a rapid transformation. This report explores how air forces are adapting training systems to produce resilient, mission-ready aircrew capable of operating in high-pressure, information-heavy environments.

Download to learn:

• Key trends shaping pilot training, including simulation, Live Virtual Constructive environments, and multi-domain integration
• Critical challenges and priorities, from pilot shortages to rising cognitive demands and high-threat preparedness

North America remains the world's largest military flight training market, driven by major U.S. and Canadian investments in advanced aircraft, synthetic training environments, and next-generation pilot development. This report examines the programs, technologies, and spending priorities shaping the market through 2030, highlighting how military organizations are modernizing training to support fifth- and sixth-generation airpower.

Inside the report:

• Market forecasts and investment trends across the U.S. and Canada, including major training aircraft and simulation programs through 2030.
• The rise of AI, VR/AR, and synthetic training, and how these technologies are transforming pilot and maintainer readiness.
• Key modernization programs supporting platforms such as the F-35, T-7A Red Hawk, future trainer aircraft, and next-generation combat aviation systems.
  

Now is the perfect time to see who was in the room at MFT USA 2025. Explore the MFT USA 2025 Attendee List to gain insight into the military, government, and industry organizations that were on-site at the summit in San Antonio. 

The attendee list highlights the senior decision-makers, programme leads, and technical experts who came together to shape the future of military flight training, from pilot training and simulation to aircraft readiness and next-generation capabilities.

Discover the caliber of organizations that participated in MFT USA 2025, and see the community that continues to drive collaboration and innovation across the military flight training ecosystem.

IDGA’s Military Flight Training Summit returned for its 10th year this past October at The Westin San Antonio North in San Antonio, Texas. The 2025 iteration welcomed 240+ senior leaders, program managers, instructors, and industry innovators in the flight training field. Top commands such as AETC, and the Army Aviation Center of Excellence were in attendance leading discussions on the future of flight training in the U.S. military and allied nations.

The following report highlights what made this year’s Military Flight Training Summit stand out, including a look at the diverse group of attending organizations, daily summaries from the conference, and much more.

If you are interested in participating in Military Flight Training 2026, which is set to return to Texas this October 27-28, click here.

For over a decade, IDGA’s Military Flight Training Summit has brought together allied air forces and leading aerospace companies to share knowledge and connect in a secure, collaborative environment. The 2025 summit, held on October 28–29 in San Antonio, Texas, continued this tradition, welcoming a senior audience of flight training programme managers, instructors, industry leaders, and subject matter experts.

Discussions at the 2025 event focused on how partnerships and emerging technologies are shaping the next era of pilot training for the U.S. military and its allies. 

Produced ahead of the summit, the Military Flight Training – North America 2025 Market Report remains one of the most comprehensive overviews of the military flight training landscape available. The report spans 35 pages and provides in-depth analysis of U.S., Canadian, and NATO flight training programmes, alongside insight into overall market size, sustainability initiatives to reduce carbon footprints, and the growing impact of technologies such as AI and virtual reality.

An updated edition of the market report will be released ahead of the 2026 Military Flight Training Summit. In the meantime, the 2025 report continues to serve as a valuable resource for organisations seeking to understand the current state and trajectory of the military flight training market.

In October 2024, the U.S. Air Force established the Flying Training Center of Excellence (FT CoE) within the 19th Air Force. Directed by the Secretary of the Air Force, the FT CoE was created to bring institutional development functions under a single command, with the aim of modernising and enhancing the effectiveness of Air Force pilot training.

Since its establishment, the Center’s mission has focused on “acquiring, establishing, securing, sustaining, and seamlessly integrating” the best available tools and techniques into a training system designed to evolve alongside operational demands.

At Military Flight Training USA 2025, Brian Kirk, Deputy for Technology Integration within the FT CoE, shared insight into the Center’s work developing an adaptive learning ecosystem, commonly referred to as “the portal”, designed to support both the FT CoE and future generations of Air Force pilots. 

Ahead of the summit, Kirk spoke with IDGA about the development of the new training portal, how it has been tailored to meet the individual needs of each student, and the role artificial intelligence is expected to play in the future of military flight training.

In 2020, 10 NATO allies (Belgium, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Spain and Türkiye) agreed to expand flight training capabilities across the alliance through the creation of the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) High Visibility Project. 

By March 2024, NFTE had placed ~50 student pilots at four locations, added nine new training campuses, and established an industry advisory body.

At Military Flight Training USA 2025, Jas Hawker, Principal Officer for NFTE, shared insight into the programme’s role in strengthening cooperation between NATO air forces and industry partners, as well as NFTE’s efforts to raise awareness and further expand the training network across the Alliance.

Ahead of the summit, Hawker spoke with IDGA about NFTE’s collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, the programme’s objectives for 2025, and how multinational cooperation is shaping the future of military flight training.