Employment of Attack and Reconnaissance Helicopters

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 integration. Missions conducted in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom proved that attack and reconnaissance pilots were not trained on these tasks. For over twenty years, senior Army Aviation Commanders concentrated their training efforts for attack pilots on mainly performing deep attack helicopter operations. Additionally, reconnaissance pilots lost the skill of maneuvering with attack helicopters. Multiple asymmetrical threats in the contemporary operating environment will continue to create challenges for Army Aviation. Therefore, helicopter pilot training at the individual level through the unit level must incorporate lessons learned from combat. Deep helicopter attacks should not be removed from attack pilot training. However, additional emphasis should be placed on attack and reconnaissance helicopter pilots maneuvering in close combat support of the ground maneuver commander.