The primary goal of this study is to determine the factors which led to organizational changes in U.S. Army Aviation helicopters. The study of the changes in force structure in Army Aviation is historically important. While Army Aviation should...
Both the United States, the Soviet Union and their respective allies have placed a great emphasis on Armored and Mechanized formations as the key to winning a major conflict on a modern battlefield. It is a well recognized fact that the Soviet...
This paper seeks to answer the question of whether or not the modern threat environment should drive U.S. Army Attack Aviation to shift its focus from the deep fight to the close battle. The paper concludes that the modern threat of asymmetric...
The introduction of attack helicopters to the battlefield opened a new dimension for ground combat forces. This monograph examines history to identify those characteristics that make an arm effective in the shock role and to assess the modern...
This monograph examines the requirements for a dedicated aviation unit designed to destroy enemy attack helicopters. The ability of Soviet helicopters to impede and destroy friendly ground forces has created a new problem for Army leaders....
Attack and reconnaissance helicopters must continue to be a force multiplier for future ground maneuver commanders. The problem is that attack and reconnaissance pilots have lost the skills of performing close combat attack and air-ground...
This monograph examines Operation Eagle Claw, the attempt to rescue the American hostages held in Iran, for planning considerations pertinent to similar operations. It focuses specifically on the principle of war Unity of Command as a command and...
Modern US Army rotary wing aeromedical evacuation operations and doctrinal concepts can be traced back to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. These early concepts have formed the foundation for the current doctrine, structure, and employment of...
Today's Army faces an environment much different from that which it prepared for in the Cold War. Massed armor battles, for which the Army was trained and equipped, have become much less likely while involvement in smaller and more limited conflict...
This study investigates whether the Army should procure the total quantity of Black Hawk helicopters needed to meet Bottom-Up Review Army force structure requirement of four corps and fifteen divisions. Procurement of Black Hawk helicopters was...
This monograph discusses surprising the enemy through the use of deception during air assault operations. It focuses at the tactical level of war. Its purpose is to explore whether or not there are tactics, techniques, and procedures that can be...
This study investigates the potential role of Navy Seahawk helicopters, armed with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile system, in overland strike operations. Navy H-60 aircraft have only recently been upgraded to include forward-looking infrared (FLIR)...
With the current fielding of the AH-64 Apache and the Light Helicopter (LH) on the horizon, Army aviation will possess some of the finest tools of war ever known to mankind. To capitalize on our quality equipment, we must develop sound doctrine...
This monograph gives the historical background to the creation of Army aviation as a separate branch of the U.S. Army. The branch was created in April of 1983 after a series of exhaustive studies and numerous general officer debates. Ultimately,...
This study hypothesizes that armed escort is required to protect special operations lift helicopters inserting, extracting, or resupplying SOF ground teams deep in the enemy rear. It compares the escort doctrine and tactics utilized by conventional...
This report presents armed helicopter tactics and survivability data that were documented and collected during counterinsurgency operations in Vietnam. Most of the data presented concern missions in which armed helicopters escorted transport...
The study begins with a general overview of the years following the Korean War through the Vietnam War. The overview examines the changing political landscapes, the events that helped to change doctrine, and the tactical changes that affected the...
In view of current Soviet emphasis on armed helicopters, is there a need for an air-to-air defensive weapon system for U.S. attack helicopters? The Soviet Union is moving into the area of helicopter employment with a great deal of enthusiasm over a...
This thesis is a study to determine if attack helicopters are needed in peace operations. It uses case studies of two peace operations in which the U.S. Army employed attack helicopters: Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and Operation Joint...
Over the last eight years, combat operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) have put a tremendous strain on the US Army's aviation fleet. In February 2004, the Army canceled the cornerstone of Army Aviation Transformation, the $48...