Current Issue Articles
Hover Performance: The “No-Kidding” Requirement
CCDC Avn Tech Talk / Dr. Thomas L. Thompson: The Army’s next generation of rotorcraft will fly significantly faster and farther than our current fleet, but they will continue to perform missions that require them to takeoff/land vertically and hover out-of-ground effect (HOGE) at high altitudes for extended periods of time. CH-47F hovering at high-altitude./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO While the need for increased speed and range will change the look of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) aircraft, the unchanging requirement for HOGE capability will dictate (from an efficiency standpoint) that they remain rotorcraft – aircraft that generate vertical thrust more efficiently...
Learn MoreCluster Operations in the 128th
128th Aviation Brigade / By CPT Trenton Conyers: As 2020 ended, the 128th Aviation Brigade postured itself to conduct Holiday Block Leave for all the trainees and cadre as it does every year. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this mission posed new challenges to leaders within the Brigade. The commander’s goal from the beginning was to maximize Soldier participation in this leave period and to do so as safely as possible, utilizing a series of COVID-19 mitigation strategies at every juncture. The most critical strategy in this was the creation of student “clusters” upon return from Holiday Block Leave which would help...
Learn MoreAlways Ready, Always There To Answer The Call To Action
Army National Guard / By LTG Jon A. Jensen: The Army National Guard’s vast array of missions throughout this past year – and the number of Soldiers that each one of those missions draw from is extraordinary. To say our operational tempo has been high is an understatement. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter, assigned to the New York Army National Guard’s Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation, approaches a helipad in New York City, April 16, 2020. New York National Guard members are supporting the multi-agency response to COVID-19. Our ability to accomplish our overseas mission during a time of Guard-wide...
Learn MoreReady Now: Amid the Global Pandemic
This is your Army Reserve / By COL Roger Deon and LTC Amy Buck: COVID-19 Response – ECAB mobilizations are enabled by experienced air crews with a proven ability to adapt to rapidly emerging requirements in complex environments. Their specialized skillsets and readiness posture allowed for seamless support to the Nation’s COVID-19 defense response and the Army’s refocused mission to protect the force, posture the force to maintain global operational readiness and support the national effort to fight against and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Company C, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, arrives at a simulated...
Learn MoreMaximizing FARP Efficiency in Large Scale Combat Operations
By CPT Edmund Lee and CPT Ryan Riemer: ATP 3-04.1 Aviation Tactical Employment notes that forward arming and refueling points (FARPs) often become a limiting factor when conducting sustained attack aviation operations. In attack battalions (AB) and air cavalry squadrons (ACS), aviation planners often lack a thorough understanding of sustainment operations and their organic Forward Support Company/Troop (FSC/T) capabilities. The reverse holds true for logisticians in the FSC/T and S-4 shop, who may not understand some of the unique requirements of aviation FARPs compared to the Refuel On the Move techniques utilized by brigade combat teams. This article provides some...
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