Army retooling combat aviation brigades

Stars and Stripes ^ | 6/27/2010 | Seth Robson

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The Army is planning to retool its combat aviation brigades by altering some of the units' combination of aircraft and by adding drones.

The aim is to convert all of the brigades to the “medium” combination of aircraft, which Kelly Pate, Army public affairs officer at Fort Rucker, Ala., said allows the commander “maximum flexibility.”

Aviation brigades fall into three categories:

— Heavy: Two AH-64 Apache attack helicopter battalions, one UH-60 Black Hawk assault battalion and one CH-47 Chinook support battalion.

— Medium: One AH-64 Apache battalion, one OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance squadron, one UH-60 Black Hawk assault battalion and one CH-47 Chinoook support battalion.

— Light: Two OH-58D Kiowa squadrons.

In addition to reorganizing the units, there are plans in place to add an aviation brigade, bringing the total to 13, according to an Army aviation study released earlier this year.

Some of the reorganization already has taken place, according to Lt. Col. Brad Barker, rear detachment commander for the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, a “heavy” unit based in Katterbach, Germany.

The 10th Mountain Division Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum, N.Y., which was “light,” recently swapped helicopters with the 3rd Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade in Savannah, Ga., which was “heavy,” and both units now operate in the new “medium” structure, he said. No timeline has been set for when 12th CAB might reorganize, he said.