By Ann Roosevelt
Army aviation has made great strides in modernizing aircraft, training and maintenance while at war, but neither the Army nor industry can slow their efforts, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody says.
“We’ve stayed on course,” Cody told attendees at the Association of the United States Army Aviation Symposium Jan. 11, on a modernization path that was funded by the cancellation of the Boeing [BA]-Sikorsky [UTC] RAH-66 Comanche helicopter in 2004.
It has been a collective, not individual, effort that couldn’t have been accomplished if everyone hadn’t signed on for the long haul, he said.
Since 2001, Army aviation has accrued 2,038,549 total flight hours as of mid-November, a chart showed. That breaks out to 1,793,490 flight hours in Iraq, and 245,059 flight hours in Afghanistan.
“Aviation will be at this OPTEMPO for quite some time,” Cody said. “Aviation will be the last out for sure.”
Thus, the challenge is to keep moving, particularly as the military believes this is an era of persistent conflict.
Aircraft programs have to stay on course: producing and fielding the Boeing CH-47F and Sikorsky UH-60M. The Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] has to keep moving on the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) to enable the retirement of the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, also built by Bell. The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA- ASI) Warrior unmanned aerial vehicle must keep moving and importantly for manned-unmanned teaming, “we’ve got to get our one station common ground station out there faster than what we’re doing” to maintain the common operating picture.
“I’m convinced that the manned unmanned teaming and the upgrades we’re doing in our aviation [tactical operation centers] TOCs as well as what we’re doing with the combat maneuver TOCs with the brigade aviation element that situational element, that time sensitive targeting, that time sensitive [reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition] RSTA, is saving lives on the battlefield today,” Cody said. “It’s eliminating people that would do harm to our soldiers.”
All this is vital because the enemy will start learning and adapting, and aviation has to keep pushing the envelope, he said.
“The materiel solutions are great, training is our stock in trade, but at the end of the day all of us should take pride in the aviation soldiers that we have today,” Cody said.
That includes soldiers like Capt. Laura Parunak, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in Iraq. Her wingman attacked, Parunak remained in the area, attacked enemy forces and secured the crash site. With no one on scene to quickly recover the crew, she landed and rescued the crew, strapping them on the wings to get them quickly back to base.
“Without question this young captain saved the lives of Apache pilots and lived the warrior ethos to never leave a fallen colleague,” Cody said.
Then there’s Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steve Kilgore awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in Iraq. While conducting reconnaissance and support in Baghdad, he came under heavy machine gun fire from multiple directions. Kilgore regrouped his flight and re-attacked. His combat experience told him something was wrong and because he understood the operational environment, he expanded his reconnaissance effort and discovered an anti-aircraft ambush being set up. This was not the first time the enemy had done this, but because of shared lessons learned, Kilgore quickly understood the situation. Using speed, low altitude attack and agility, he used his weapons to destroy several 14.5 mm aircraft guns and two Manpads systems.
Staff Sgt. Peter Rohrs is nominated for the Silver Star for saving the lives of his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. Nov. 9 aircraft were alerted that soldiers on the ground were engaged and had suffered 12 casualties in a remote valley. Rohrs was lowered to the ground and found seven soldiers had fallen 150 meters down a canyon during an ambush, suffered gunshot and shrapnel injuries from the ambush and broken arms and legs from the fall. With only two soldiers physically able to assist him, he triaged the wounded. While this was going on, an unknown individual with an AK-47 approached and was neutralized. Rohrs continued to evacuate and treat the wounded despite incoming mortar rounds and enemy fire from the ridge line above. Rohrs ignored all this and moved his patients to a more secure location.
All told, he and two Dust Off helicopter crews saved 13 soldiers that night.
“The teamwork between the crews, flight chiefs and medics is truly incredible,” Cody said. “These are the soldiers that you and I serve. These are our customers.”
The air-ground team has always been close, but Cody said it has “never been stronger since I’ve worn this uniform.”
However, while Army aviation has the technological edge now, the enemy has a vote and thinks asymmetrically and will work out how to counter that edge.
“We can’t stop and rest on our laurels,” Cody said. “We have a lot of money. What we don’t have is a lot of time. I’m still waiting for (Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures) ATIRCM. I’m still waiting to get the ARH off and running. I’m still waiting for the 14 shot rocket pod–not me but the soldiers are. I’m still waiting for the common ground station.”
Army aviation is down a brigade’s worth of aircraft. The first war replacement Apache helicopter will be delivered this year, but the money for it was put in in 2005.
“We can do better than this. My job is to get you the resources. My job is to make sure our strategy’s right and fits the requirements. Your job it to get it to us faster. And by the by the way, on cost.”