US Army Aviation

The US Army Aviation gathers the air means (Hélicoptère S and Avion S) of the United States Army. Its equivalent in the French Army is the light Aviation of the Army.

Its seat is the Army Aviation Center with Fort Rucker, Alabama.

History

Before the release of the Second world war, the artillerists claim with insistence of the air observation aids of fires more adapted than those provided by USAAF.

They recommend the use of commercial planes light and support the principle of their organic integration in the units users.

After a series of successful experiments, the June 6th 1942, the American Département of the War authorizes the creation of an Aviation of artillery observation which took part in the Opération Torch.

The American helicopters flew: 240000 hours in 2005: 334000 hours in 2006 and, according to the forecasts, should count: 400000 hours of flight in 2007.

Air means

Here a summary of the air means of the U.S. Army in 2003:

380 Boeing (Hugues/McDD) AH-64 has “Apache” including 147 in schools, reserve, center of drive - helicopter of attack
346 AH-64 D including 126 idem
458 Bell OH-58 A/C “Kiowa” - light helicopter of attack/recognition)
372 Beautiful OH-58 D
: 1569 Sikorsky UH-60 “Black Hawk” - multi-purpose helicopter -
422 Beautiful UH-1 “Iroquois” - utility helicopter - (will be replaced dice 2008 as well as OH-58 A/C by 352 UH-145 of Eurocopter, local designation UH-72A Lakota)
461 Boeing CH-47 “Chinook” - helicopter of heavy transport -
169 Beautiful TH-67 “Creek” - helicopter. school
299 connection, transport aircraft of which electronic about fifty listening.

That is to say a total of 4.476 apparatuses.

It is necessary to note the presence of several tens of MH-6 Little Bird used by the special forces of USSOCOM.

Current flow chart

In 2004, the armor-plated divisions and of Infanterie of US Army lay out each one of:

18 to 24 AH-64 “Apache”
16 to 38 OH-58 “Kiowa”
15 to 30 UH-60 “Black Hawk”

Flow chart in the near future

Following the cancellation of the program Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 “Comanche”, from here the Years 2010, 501 “Apache” will be carried to the standard AH-64 D Block III which will be on the same level as Comanche Block I minus the furtivity; the 213 AH-64 have which will be still in service will leave to the National guard and the Reserve.

The 17 Brigade S of aviation in the future perfectly identical in their organization with the equivalent of a mini air force for each division of US Army and will be renamed Aviation Units off Action .

For the 8 heavy brigades:

2 Battalion S of attack (2 X 24 AH-64 D)
1 bldg. of operation (30 Black Hawk : being able to transport in one only rotation a bldg. of infantry)
1 bldg. of support (12 Chinook , 8 héli. of command, 12 héli. ambulance)
1 bldg. of Drone S
1 unit of maintenance
1 brigade Aviation Element (in charge of the coordination 3D of the operations, the transmissions, coordination with the terrestrial brigades…)

Maybe between 100 and 120 revolving aerofoils per division, under the direct control of the commander of this division, which will avoid passing by the Army corps to have significant air means like currently.

External bonds

Site of the '' US Army Aviation Warfighing Center '' of Strong Rucker
Museum of US Army Aviation
Official site on the history of Army Aviation

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