Aviation, Army

Aviation was first used in combat in the United States during the American Civil War when officers in the Union and Confederate Armies recognized the advantages of adding a third dimension to the battlefield. From above, observers in balloons conducted reconnaissance. Into the 20th century, technological advances expanded the role of aviation to encompass broader tactical and strategic objectives. By the end of World War II, the U.S. Army saw the potential of the helicopter and worked to incorporate it into warfighting doctrine. During the Vietnam War, the helicopter proved incredibly useful, and in 1983, the army established aviation as an independent branch, which allowed further development and professionalization of army aviators. Today, Army Aviation’s global missions deliver a wide variety of capabilities with unmanned ...