LONGBOW, COMANCHE and the Aviation Restructure Initiative: Tactical Implications for the Heavy Division Attack Helicopter Battalion,
Abstract
Over the past thirty years, the attack helicopter has matured as an integral part of the U. S. Army's warfighting team. Operation Desert Storm put the stamp of success on three decades of attack helicopter development, beginning during the Vietnam War. The new world order, however, is sweeping away the environment that shaped the evolution of the Army's attack helicopter. The 21St century promises to bring radical change to the conventional battlefield, requiring units to anticipate and adapt to the new requirements. Army Aviation already has plans for restructuring and modernizing the heavy division attack helicopter battalion to prepare it for the battlefields of the next century. This monograph examines the projected evolution of the heavy division attack helicopter battalion over the next two decades. It assesses the effect of the Aviation Restructure Initiative, the fielding of the AH-64D APACHE LONGBOW, and the fielding of the RAH-66 COMANCHE on the battalion's combat potential. The analysis revealed significant gains in combat potential with the fielding of both the AH-64D and the RAH-66. It found, however, that the COMANCHE provides the battalion a dramatically better capability to conduct precise, synchronized operations than does the APACHE LONGBOW. The RAH-66 can build a more refined situational awareness of the battle space for the battalion, which is a critical requirement of the future conventional battlefield.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 17, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA293471
Entities
People
- Richard C. Stockhausen
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College