Harrison Kass
Most of the US Army’s planes were spun off into the Air Force in 1947, but it continues to operate a handful of fixed-wing aircraft for logistics and ISR purposes. The US Army is synonymous with helicopters—but the service also operates a modest fixed-wing fleet. These aircraft are not geared for air superiority or strike missions—the Army long ago relegated those tasks to the US Air Force, spun off from the Army in 1947—but instead support command, logistics, intelligence, and mobility. Indeed, in an Air Force-dominated fixed-wing ecosystem, the Army stubbornly clings to a small fleet.
Before 1947, the US Army Air Forces controlled most of America’s military aviation. The creation of the US Air Force separated roles, with the Air Force taking on combat air power and strategic lift and the Army keeping organic aviation for ground forces. The Army also retained a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft for missions the helicopter couldn’t efficiently perform. Said succinctly, Army aircraft are tactical enablers, not independent combat assets—focused on supporting commanders on the ground, operating from austere or short runways, and facilitating rapid point-to-point movement. Specifically, the Army has utility and transport aircraft, (formerly) tactical airlift, and ISR aircraft.
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