Modernizing the Army's Rotary-Wing Aviation Fleet

Toward the end of the Cold War, the Armys helicopter, or rotary-wing, fleet consisted of nearly 9,000 aircraft. Over the past 20 years, however, the fleet has contracted to its current strength of about 3,500 aircraft. Despite the elimination of many older helicopters and the modernization or replacement of others, most of the helicopters in todays fleet already exceed or soon will reach ages greater than the Army considers practical. The Army has embarked on a modernization plan that, by 2030, would address the aging of the fleet and introduce new capabilities by replacing or significantly upgrading nearly every helicopter in the fleet.