Delivering Partner Capability
Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft / By COL Steven B. Clark: The mission of the Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft (NSRWA) Project Management Office (PMO) is to procure, field and sustain non-standard rotorcraft for the Department of Defense (DoD), allied countries or as directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. Initially established in 2010 to procure and lifecycle sustain the fleet of Mi-17 helicopters in support of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A), the portfolio has expanded to 315 aircraft representing a diverse fleet of Mi-17, MD-530, AH-6i, OH-58D, UH-1, Huey II, AH-1, Bell...
Learn MoreRotary Wing: Apache Helicopter
PM Update / By COL Joseph A. Hoecherl with COL (Ret) Robin D. Cofer: At the end of 2016, the Army took delivery of its 169th AH-64E Apache helicopter, which equates to 5 AH-64E battalions and almost 25% of the current Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) of 690 aircraft. Fielded units include 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB), 4-6 CAV, 1-101st ARB, 2-17 CAV, 7-17 CAV, and USAACE. The final technology insertion originally planned for the AH-64E production line, referred to as Version 6 (V6), provides the remaining technologies required to meet the approved requirements for the program. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO...
Learn MoreBirth Control
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Abigail Vargo, M.D: Q: Doc, I want to get a prescription for birth control. What are my options while on flight status? Homecoming ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas / U.S. Army photo by Spc. Sharla Lewis FS: Prescription birth control is safe and considered a Class 2A medication – it must be prescribed by a physician and reported on the annual flight physical. Estrogen or progesterone preparations do not require a waiver when used solely for contraception or hormone replacement following menopause or hysterectomy. There are many effective methods to prevent pregnancy. Choosing...
Learn MorePM-TRADOC Collaboration – A Thing of Beauty
128th Aviation Brigade / By SSG Neil R. Smith: The mission of Army Aviation is constantly evolving. With the evolution in tactics, techniques and procedures, comes training technological evolution. The L-7AY Multiplex, Avionics, Visionics, Weapons, Electrical Systems Trainer (MAVWEST) during acceptance testing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SSG NEIL R. SMITH For more than a decade, the AH-64D Apache Longbow has been the U.S. Army’s premier attack helicopter and has performed outstandingly. In the normal evolution of technology, this tried and true warrior is being replaced by the latest attack helicopter, the AH-64E. It is still...
Learn MoreAviation Training Site Achieves Major Milestones
Eastern Army National Guard (ARNG) / By LTC(P) Gregg Clark and CSM (Ret.) Charles Reisinger: Last year, the Eastern ARNG Aviation Training Site (EAATS) achieved two major milestones – training and graduating the 10,000th enlisted Soldier; and breaking ground on the new Aviation Maintenance Instruction Building (AMIB) at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA. SFC Sean Merrill, an instructor at the Eastern ARNG Aviation Training Site, discusses the Black Hawk primary servo with a class. / NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY SSG BROCK LICHTENFELS, EASTERN AATS In April 1989, National Guard Aviation determined the need to start enlisted training at the EAATS. The...
Learn MoreGaining and Maintaining the Edge on Aircraft Maintenance!
Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Gregory M. Chambers: Gaining the edge on aircraft maintenance and maintaining aircraft maintenance proficiency takes leader engagement at all levels to be successful. Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion (Attack/Recon), 229th Aviation Regiment gather near a unit AH-64D undergoing scheduled maintenance in September 2016 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CSM GREGORY M. CHAMBERS More importantly, when we succeed at this as a branch, the branch and the Army succeeds. In this month’s issue of ARMY AVIATION magazine, the focus is on the Program Managers. I briefly talked about...
Learn MoreArmy Aviators Work Maritime Tactics
Spotlight / By MAJ Ian Benson and MAJ Erin Braswell: 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry AH-64s from 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Task Force Saber participated in sinking a target vessel as an exercise (SINKEX), part of the annual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises. The Navy provided a decommissioned naval vessel that was anchored over 50 miles offshore and engaged by over 6 different Naval, Air force and Army platforms. The AH-64 conducted eight different engagements against the littoral target and validated the helicopter’s lethality not only on land but in the littoral environment as well. Two U.S. Army AH-64D Apache...
Learn MoreRecruiting the Future Today
Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch / By CW5 Joseph B. Roland and CW4 David J. Stock II: In order to provide no-fail support to our nation and the warfighter on the ground, Army Aviation strives to access, train, and develop the best aviation warfighters in the world. CW2 Sean Quillin, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, greets Jeff Coleman, aviation instructor at Emerald Ridge High School, after landing his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the school’s football field. His visit to the high school was part of a partnership with the school’s aviation program which gives aspiring pilots...
Learn MoreThe Greatest Generation Remembers Pearl Harbor Day
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer, CPT Heba Bullock and SGT Daniel K. Johnson: The 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was an opportunity to honor our “Greatest Generation” as they endured incredible sacrifices on December 7, 1941, the “date which will live in infamy.” Thomas Pesto, a Pearl Harbor survivor, addresses Soldiers, veterans, civilians and family members at the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony at Wheeler Army Airfield Hangar 206 on December 5, 2016. The hangar was the first to come under attack on the “day that will live in infamy.” Soldiers from the...
Learn MoreExpeditionary Fight
601st Aviation Support Battalion BSA / By LTC Aaron M. McPeake, MAJ Jason Knapp, and CPT Mark A. Yore: Seldom does an aviation support battalion (ASB) have the opportunity to train at one of the Army’s combat training centers (CTC). Without the advantage of scheduled rotations to a CTC, training to achieve mission essential task (MET) proficiency in an expeditionary environment must be conducted at home station. The 601st ASB, Fort Riley, Kansas achieved that through nesting training with our supported battalion’s mission readiness training exercise (MRX). With nearly 30% of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade’s (1CAB), 1st Infantry Division...
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