Army Attack Helicopters: Can They Survive on the Airland Battlefield

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Army Attack Helicopters: Can They Survive on the Airland Battlefield

R. L. Throckmorton

Both the United States, the Soviet Union and their respective allies have placed a great emphasis on Armored and Mechanized formations as the key to winning a major conflict on a modern battlefield. It is a well recognized fact that the Soviet Union and her Warsaw Pact Allies have a great numerical superiority over the US and NATO forces in these types of equipment. The delay, disruption, and/or destruction of these armored forces has consequently become a paramount concern to US operational planners. The attack helicopter has shown itself to be a formidable force against mechanized forces in war games and operational tests conducted by both the East and the West. First, this thesis traces the historical development of the attack helicopter and looks at recent military conflicts where it has been used as in effective offensive weapon. From these conflicts, an analysis of both the efficacy and the shortcomings of the attack helicopter as a weapon system has been performed. Secondly, the thesis examines US attack helicopter doctrine as it might be employed against Soviet and/or Soviet type forces in the context on Soviet ground and air defense systems, which are recognized to be qualitatively and quantitatively superior to those of the US. The examination of Soviet air defenses against helicopters raises many questions as to whether or not US attack helicopters can survive on the modern AirLand Battlefield.