24/7 Wall St. Insights:
- The Black Hawk helicopter is the most widely used helicopter by the U.S. Army
- These helicopters can be outfitted with a series of machine guns and missiles
- The U.S. Army has over 2,000 Black Hawks in its service with over 300 more on order
- Also: Discover the next Nvidia
The Black Hawk helicopter is by far and away the most widely used military helicopter in the U.S. military. It plays a variety of roles like search and rescue, reconnaissance, transport and close-air support. Sikorsky Aircraft originally introduced these helicopters in 1979, and the Black Hawk continues to serve as a staple of the U.S. Army and many other militaries around the world. (These are the future military helicopters of the world.)
Typically, these helicopters are outfitted with a series of machine guns and are capable of carrying Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles as well. At the same time, these helicopters are relatively versatile and can be outfitted a number of ways depending on the mission.
The U.S. Army has over 2,000 Black Hawk helicopters in active service with hundreds more on order. This helicopter is the backbone of the U.S. Army.
Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the aircraft in service of the U.S. Army. To identify every aircraft in the U.S. Army, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ordered these aircraft by how many are currently in active service. We also included supplemental data on the type of aircraft and how many of these aircraft are on order.
It’s worth noting that Army aircraft are usually involved with the transport or support of ground troops and in this regard, they differ somewhat from the primary roles of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force or Navy. One major difference between these military branches is that the U.S. Army utilizes helicopters as a larger portion of its fleet as opposed to fighter jets or combat aircraft. (This is every American aircraft that fought in the Vietnam War.)
Here is a closer look at the U.S. Army aircraft currently in service:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the combat aircraft used by the U.S. Army provides insight into joint military capabilities and defense strategies. Also knowing what the U.S. has in its arsenal further explains its military capabilities.
22. Cessna 208 Caravan
- Type: Turboprop utility aircraft
- Year introduced: 1984
- Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft / Textron Aviation
- Active in the Army: 1
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 214 mph
- Armament: N/A
21. Gulfstream C-20H
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: Gulfstream Aerospace
- Active in the Army: 1
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 582 mph
- Armament: N/A
20. H125 Fennec
- Type: Light utility helicopter
- Year introduced: 1990
- Manufacturer: Eurocopter / Airbus Helicopters
- Active in the Army: 1
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 152 mph
- Armament: 20mm GIAT automatic cannon, 12.7mm machine gun pods, 7.62mm machine gun pods, FZ220 rocket pods, BMD-71 TOW missiles
19. Mil Mi-24 Hind
- Type: Attack helicopter
- Year introduced: 1973
- Manufacturer: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant
- Active in the Army: 1
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 208 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 23mm cannon, 30mm cannon, anti-tank missiles, rocket pods, machine gun pods, cannon pods, conventional drop bombs
18. Beech C-12 Huron
- Type: Special mission aircraft
- Year introduced: 1974
- Manufacturer: Beechcraft
- Active in the Army: 3
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 332 mph
- Armament: N/A
17. Challenger 604/650
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1980
- Manufacturer: Bombardier Aerospace
- Active in the Army: 3
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 565 mph
- Armament: N/A
16. DHC-7 Dash 7 (EO-5C)
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1978
- Manufacturer: de Havilland
- Active in the Army: 3
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 317 mph
- Armament: N/A
15. T-6D Texan
- Type: Trainer aircraft
- Year introduced: 1936
- Manufacturer: North American Aviation
- Active in the Army: 4
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 209 mph
- Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
14. Bell 407
- Type: Light utility helicopter
- Year introduced: 1996
- Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter
- Active in the Army: 5
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 162 mph
- Armament: N/A
13. DC-3 (C-41A)
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1936
- Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft
- Active in the Army: 5
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 237 mph
- Armament: N/A
12. Grob G120
- Type: Trainer aircraft
- Year introduced: 1999
- Manufacturer: Grob Aircraft
- Active in the Army: 6
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 199 mph
- Armament: N/A
11. C-27 Spartan
- Type: Medium-lift tactical transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1997
- Manufacturer: Leonardo-Finmeccanica / Boeing
- Active in the Army: 7
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 373 mph
- Armament: N/A
10. Dash 8
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1984
- Manufacturer: de Havilland / Bombardier Aerospace
- Active in the Army: 9
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 317 mph
- Armament: N/A
9. Mi-8/17 Hip
- Type: Medium-lift transport / gunship helicopter
- Year introduced: 1977
- Manufacturer: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant
- Active in the Army: 10
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 158 mph
- Armament: 23mm cannon pods, 7.62mm machine guns, rockets, anti-tank missiles
8. C-26 Metroliner
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1980
- Manufacturer: Fairchild Aircraft
- Active in the Army: 13
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 331 mph
- Armament: N/A
7. Citation Encore/Ultra
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 2004
- Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft
- Active in the Army: 28
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 490 mph
- Armament: N/A
6. AH/MH-6 Little Bird
- Type: Light attack helicopter
- Year introduced: 1980
- Manufacturer: Hughes / McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
- Active in the Army: 47
- Aircraft on order: 74
- Top speed: 175 mph
- Armament: 30mm M230 chaingun, 12.7mm GAU-19 gatling guns, 7.62mm miniguns, M261 rocket pods, Hellfire missiles, TOW anti-tank missiles, Stinger missiles
5. Super King Air
- Type: Transport aircraft
- Year introduced: 1972
- Manufacturer: Beechcraft
- Active in the Army: 179
- Aircraft on order: 0
- Top speed: 348 mph
- Armament: N/A
4. UH-72 Lakota
- Type: Light utility helicopter
- Year introduced: 2007
- Manufacturer: Eurocopter / Airbus Helicopters
- Active in the Army: 478
- Aircraft on order: 30
- Top speed: 167 mph
- Armament: N/A
3. CH-47 Chinook
- Type: Medium-lift, tandem rotor transport helicopter
- Year introduced: 1962
- Manufacturer: Boeing
- Active in the Army: 510
- Aircraft on order: 57
- Top speed: 180 mph
- Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
2. AH-64 Apache
- Type: Two-seat attack helicopter
- Year introduced: 1986
- Manufacturer: Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Hughes
- Active in the Army: 824
- Aircraft on order: 15
- Top speed: 183 mph
- Armament: 30mm automatic cannon, Hellfire missiles, Hydra rocket pods, Stinger missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Sidearm missiles
1. S-70 Black Hawk
- Type: Medium-lift multi-mission helicopter
- Year introduced: 1979
- Manufacturer: Sikorsky
- Active in the Army: 2,299
- Aircraft on order: 361
- Top speed: 183 mph
- Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, Hellfire missiles, 12.7mm gatling guns, M134 gatling guns, rocket pods, 30mm chain gun
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