UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION

UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION

UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION • Department of the Army
Army ε452,750 active personnel. Aviation Command: Organization includes 11 combat aviation brigades (CAB), specialized ISR aviation brigades, and one specialized special operations aviation regiment (160th SOAR).

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type

• AIRCRAFT Total approx. 215+ Aircraft.

Special Mission (Reconnaissance / ISR / EW) with 67 active ac:

• 49 Beechcraft MC/RC-12 Guardrail / EMARSS.
• 9 de Havilland Canada Dash 8 (RO-6).
• 3 Bombardier Global 6500 (HADES) (ELINT) (ordered/delivery ongoing).
• 2 Bombardier Challenger 650 (Artemis).
• 2 Bombardier Global 6500 (Athena R).
• 2 Bombardier Global 6500 (Athena S) (SIGINT).

Transport with 148 active ac:

• 90 Beechcraft C-12 Huron (King Air 200/350).
• 28 Cessna UC-35 Citation Encore/Ultra.
• 11 Fairchild C-26E Metro / Merlin IV.
• 7 Alenia C-27J Spartan.
• 5 CASA C-41A (C212 Aviocar).
• 3 Beechcraft C-12J (Beech 1900).
• 1 Cessna 208.
• 1 Gulfstream C-20H (G-IV).

Training (Fixed-wing):

• 11 Beechcraft King Air 100/200 (CAE USA).
• 6 Grob G120TP (CAE USA).
• 4 Raytheon T-6D Texan II.

• HELICOPTER 838+ combat capable. Total ε3,600+ Helicopters.

Attack (Helicopters) with 838 combat capable hel:

• 838 Boeing AH-64D/E Apache / Apache Guardian.

Multi-Role & Special Operations (Helicopters) with 98 active hel:

• 51 Boeing AH-6M / MH-6M Little Bird (Operated by 160th SOAR).
• 47 MD Helicopters MH-6 / AH-6 (MD500).

Transport & Utility (Helicopters) with 3,176 active hel:

• 2,281 Sikorsky UH-60 / MH-60 / HH-60 Black Hawk (various models A/L/M/V/G).
• 494 Boeing CH-47D/F / MH-47G Chinook.
• 391 Airbus UH-72A/B Lakota (H145).
• 10 Mil Mi-8 / Mi-17 Hip.

Training & Liaison (Helicopters):

• 87 Airbus UH-72A Lakota (H145).
• 1 Mil Mi-24 Hind (Aggressor/training role).

• UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS (UAS)

Combat & ISR (Heavy / Medium):

• 180 General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle.
• FTUAS (Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System): (Note: Intended to replace RQ-7B Shadow starting in 2026).

Armament

• Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASM): AGM-114K/L/M/N/R Hellfire II; AGM-179A JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile); AGR-20A APKWS (Laser-guided rockets).

Note: By 2026, U.S. Army Aviation is in a major transition phase under the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) modernization initiative. The service is focusing on long-range precision fires and multidomain operations. A key milestone for 2026 is the initial fielding of the Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS), a vertical takeoff-and-landing UAV designed for runway-independent operations to replace the aging RQ-7B Shadow. Simultaneously, the Army continues testing the Bell V-280 Valor (FLRAA), which is intended to eventually replace a portion of the UH-60 Black Hawk fleet. Strategic ISR capabilities are also being modernized with the transition from fixed-wing legacy platforms to the HADES (Global 6500) fleet to provide deep-sensing capabilities.