Army Aviation

If you're an aviation buff, the U.S. Army gives you plenty to gawk at – at least if you like helicopters.

The Army is still buying AH-64 Apache gunships, having just received the 501st one. The latest version of the UH-60 Blackhawk is now in production, and the army will buy 1,200 of them, to replace older, 1980's, models. There is also a new scout helicopter, the ARH-70, and 368 of those are being bought, along with 322 UH-72A Lakotas to replace UH-1's in reserve units. Many of these purchases will take up to a decade to complete. But the army will be buying 150-200 aircraft a year over the next six years. In addition, over 1,600 helicopters are being refurbished as they are returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The money for these helicopters came from canceling the expensive and unnecessary Comanche scout helicopter. With advances in communication, computers, and unmanned aerial vehicles, these super-expensive helicopters became an expensive redundancy.

The U.S. Army has the largest fleet of combat helicopters (over 4,000) in the world and is the 4th largest air force in the world behind the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Chinese Air Force.

Though I've never flown in a helicopter, I've had the pleasure of getting to sit in the cockpit of an Apache several years ago at an airshow. Other airshows have provided the chance to sit in Blackhawks, Hueys, and Chinooks and I can't wait to see the new aircraft up close and personal.

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Thanks for the info Strategypage.com!