Aviation Support Relationships
Roland, I liked your assessment of the Army aviation support relationships. I especially liked the way that you broke down the way that each type of aviation platforms are used to support each other during the same mission. Your assessment of using multiple cargo or utility aircraft to mass in one location and offload Soldiers at a given spot to mass combat power is spot on. The use of scout weapons team or attack weapons teams to scout the intended landing zone to make a “cherry / ice” call prior to the lift aircraft arriving at the LZ is a very good example of aviation assets supporting each other during time critical operations. The ability to view video of the intended target area with the use of UAS assets is essential on today’s battlefield.
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Your statements about Air Assaults supporting the attack element was spot on. The ability of an air assault to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain is only possible with the support of aviation. Air assaults would never succeed without the attack aviation element supporting them. Additionally, your assessment of the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems to support air assaults by providing continuous helicopter landing zone “pre-soaks” prior to infill as well as patterns of life observations is a key element to their success. The use of UAS support on the modern battlefield has become so essential that UAS support is often a “GO, NO-GO factor in the decision to conduct certain combat missions. Your assessment of air movement for transport of units, personnel, supplies, and equipment is a long standing role of aviation support. The ability of aviation to provide early and accurate warning of enemy operations to provide the force with ample time and maneuver space to react to the enemy is an essential force multiplier in order to develop the situation to allow the commander the time to effectively employ forces in the correct way. It will be interesting to see how aviation is used as the future of war develops into a fight against a more capable and complex hybrid
Your statements about Air Assaults supporting the attack element was spot on. The ability of an air assault to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain is only possible with the support of aviation. Air assaults would never succeed without the attack aviation element supporting them. Additionally, your assessment of the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems to support air assaults by providing continuous helicopter landing zone “pre-soaks” prior to infill as well as patterns of life observations is a key element to their success. The use of UAS support on the modern battlefield has become so essential that UAS support is often a “GO, NO-GO factor in the decision to conduct certain combat missions. Your assessment of air movement for transport of units, personnel, supplies, and equipment is a long standing role of aviation support. The ability of aviation to provide early and accurate warning of enemy operations to provide the force with ample time and maneuver space to react to the enemy is an essential force multiplier in order to develop the situation to allow the commander the time to effectively employ forces in the correct way. It will be interesting to see how aviation is used as the future of war develops into a fight against a more capable and complex hybrid