Howard Altman
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Justin Yarborough)
While both Ukraine and Russia have sustained large amounts of helicopter losses due to dense traditional frontline air defenses, in some cases, drones, and attacks on bases, the U.S. Army is taking a measured approach in applying lessons learned to the future of its own rotary-wing fleet, a top commander told us. Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, is adamant that not everything that happens in Ukraine applies to the U.S. Army and it’s absolutely critical that only the right lessons should be heeded.
“When we talk about Ukraine, there are a lot of lessons to be learned,” Gill told us on the sidelines of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, D.C. “We focus on the right lessons to be learned.”
“There are some differences between positional warfare with drones – they’re doing World War One with drones right now in Ukraine – and the way that the United States Army fights, particularly as a member of the combined arms team and as a member of the joint force,” he added. “So, there are a lot of things that we should pay attention to there, but they’re not flying at night. They don’t plan like we plan. They don’t bring all the collective elements that we could bring to bear when we execute our operations.”Paratroopers assigned to “Cavemen” Bravo Company, 2-82 Aviation Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division prepare and take off for a night flight on April 24, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Vincent Levelev) Staff Sgt. Vincent Levelev
Ukraine and Russia are likely using deception as part of their operations, “but…using the night, using the terrain, using the degraded visual environment, we’ve got some pretty exquisite capabilities, and some well-trained folks, as do the Ukrainians,” Gill noted.
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