Army Helicopters: Piecemeal Modernization For Future War
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. / breakingdefesnse.com: ARLINGTON: US Army helicopters can penetrate Russian-style anti-aircraft defenses, service leaders say, but many aircrew are likely to die trying without new technologies, upgrades that the Army can only afford for part of the force. That mismatch between military demand and budgetary supply may force an end to 14 years organizing and modernizing all Combat Aviation Brigades to a single common standard. Instead, the aviation branch is now studying creating a variety of specialized units, only some of which might get tech like cockpit automation, improved turbine engines, and active protection against incoming missiles. An AH-64 Apache gunship flies over Warsaw. “Every time...
Learn MoreOH-58D ‘Kiowa Warrior’ takes final flight
By Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland / 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs: The U.S. Army Aviation Development Directorate flew the Army’s final OH-58D “Kiowa Warrior” flight from Felker Army Airfield at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Sept. 19, 2017. John Zimmerman, Aviation Development Directorate Aviation Support Facility manager, bows the OH-58D “Kiowa Warrior” during its final flight at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Sept. 18, 2017. Zimmerman has worked with the Kiowa since 1986. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland) (Photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland) A Vietnam War-era helicopter, the Kiowa spent 48 years in service as a...
Learn MoreArmy Aviation to Revamp Training
By David Vergun / Army News Service: WASHINGTON — The Army Aviation Branch is in the process of overhauling its entire training program, said Command Sgt. Maj. Greg M. Chambers. Soldiers of the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade work on a Black Hawk helicopter at Camp Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania, Sept. 23, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by David Vergun) Chambers, who is the command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, said the center is now working on development of a new maintenance training program for both rated and non-rated crew members. The center is also examining the advanced...
Learn MoreArmy Aviation Dodges A Bullet In Latest Budget Cliffhanger
By Loren Thompson, forbes.com: When the Army and Air Force split to become separate military services after World War Two, the Air Force got almost all of the fixed-wing aircraft, and the Army got almost all of the helicopters. Today, 70 years later, the U.S. Army is the biggest operator of helicopters in the world, and every facet of its approach to conducting land warfare is shaped by the availability of vertical-lift assets. The 2017 budget compromise Congress reached this week will provide $774 million for 52 remanufactured AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, $262 million for seven new Apaches, and $72...
Learn MoreResilient Texans return operations at CCAD days after Harvey hits Coastal Bend
By Ms. Brigitte Rox (AMC) / army.mil: CORPUS CHRISTI ARMY DEPOT, Texas – For nearly fifty years, anyone with a vested interested in Corpus Christi, Texas has at some point heard (or said) that a major hurricane hitting town was never a question of if. It was always a question of when. Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Gabram, Commanding General of the US Army Aviation and Missile Command points out ongoing repairs inside of Corpus Christi Army Depot’s production facility, Sep. 6. Depot commander Col. Allan H. Lanceta and other depot leaders guided him through the most damaged areas and discussed...
Learn MoreU.S. Army Aviation Museum Showcases Helicopter ‘That Changed the World’
By Nathan Pfau / Army News Service: The UH-1D Huey helicopter serves as a centerpiece in the U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Ala. The UH-1 Huey was the helicopter that forever changed the world of Army aviation. The Huey became synonymous with Army aviation after it was able to showcase its versatility in the Vietnam War, where it was initially utilized as a medical evacuation transport. However, the Army quickly realized that the aircraft’s adaptability also made it a capable troop transport and gunship, according to Bob Mitchell, U.S. Army Aviation Museum curator. PHOTO BY NATHAN PFAU /...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Army Wants to Replace Its Helicopters With These
By Justin Bachman / bloomberg.com / May 17, 2017, 4:00 AM EDT: Defense Contractors are taking very different Approaches to fixing America’s broken-down bird problem. Infantrymen in Vietnam jump from a Bell UH-1 Iroquois, also known as a “Huey,” in 1967.Photographer: Bettmann/Getty Images The popular view of U.S. Army aviation owes a lot to Hollywood. Think of an Army helicopter, and the below is probably what comes to mind—courtesy of dozens of films such as Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and even Good Morning, Vietnam Reprinted: bloomberg.com / May 17, 2017, 4:00 AM EDT The Bell UH-1 “Huey” helicopter was a U.S. staple in Vietnam, while the 1980s-era Boeing...
Learn MoreGold Star Families: We are the Best Versions of the Worst-Case Scenarios
By Emily Munoz / taps.org: I think on some level we all want to live the dream. Maybe this means we have the job we always wanted or we’ve given birth to children pretty enough to be on “Toddlers and Tiaras” and smart enough to be in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Living the dream could be about freedom or security, it could mean a life in the spotlight or nights on back-country trails. Maybe it’s about waking up to certain people, or maybe it’s about waking up every day in our version of the Barbie Dream House. We learn...
Learn MoreAlabama Company Receives $72 Million Military School Food Contract
By Daniel Bruce / yellowhammernews.com: A Birmingham company has received a contract for up to $72 million worth of fresh fruit and vegetables for military and U.S. Department of Agriculture schools in Alabama and Florida. According to the Associated Press, Forestwood Farms, Inc. was one of two companies that bid for the four and a half year project. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mikey Niman (RELEASED) The contract is with the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia. The DLA provides clothing, food, and other equipment to the military all over the world. The Subsistence department of the DLA handles the...
Learn MoreArkansas National Guard Remembers 2 Guardsmen Killed in Plane Crash
By Erika Ferrando: Two dedicated National Guardsmen tragically died Sunday in a plane crash in Camden. In this ongoing investigation, investigators are still trying to figure out what lead to this crash. As the families are mourning their loss, so are the fellow men and women at Camp Robinson who worked with them every day. “To remember Rufus and Justin, would be their passion to their craft their passion to their family and their dedication to duty,” said Major Nick Price, 77th Combat Aviation Brigade Aviation Officer, who worked with the men every day.One of the men, 42-year-old CW2 Rufus...
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