The first helicopter used for military purposes was the YR-4B. It was designed by Igor Sikorsky, a Russian-born citizen that emigrated to the United States in 1919 and designed the craft as an American citizen. It made its first combat flight in April of 1944, when it aided in the rescue of four men in Burma. Since this time, helicopters have been used worldwide for military purposes.
Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the helicopters in service of the U.S. military. To identify all of the helicopters in active service in the U.S. military, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. The helicopters are ranked by the number of units in active service. We included all variants of each helicopter in the count and excluded all helicopters from the Coast Guard. Supplemental data regarding the type of helicopter, how many are in active service, and how many are on order came from FlightGlobal.
Most of the helicopters that make up this list have been in service for decades. Perhaps, the key example of this is the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. This helicopter has been involved in a number of high-profile military operations over the years, including one with a blockbuster movie named after it, Black Hawk Down. It is even said that a stealth version of the Black Hawk was used in the operation that took out Osama bin Laden.
Another popular helicopter, the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, is one of the few copters that has been in service for 60 years. Designs for a tandem-rotor helicopter began in 1957. This heavy-lift helicopter entered service in 1963 and remains one of the fastest helicopters in the U.S. arsenal.
This post was updated on September 12, 2025 to clarify classifications and fleet numbers are specific craft, as well as the history of the first military helicopter in the U.S.
Why Are We Covering This?
Military helicopters play an important role in modern military operations. These aircraft are integral to the U.S. armed forces, which operates 5,463 helicopters. Reviewing the specific craft that the United States has in its arsenal helps us understand our country’s military capabilities.
Here is a look at every helicopter in the U.S. military:
15. Airbus H125
- Type: Light utility/training helicopter, used in small numbers by U.S. agencies like Customs & Border Protection
- Variants: H125, AS350
- Active in military: 1
- Helicopters on order: 0
14. MH-139 Grey Wolf
- Type: Nuclear security/transport helicopter
- Active in military: 4
- Helicopters on order: 78
13. Bell 407
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Active in military: 10
- Helicopters on order: 0
12. Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Active in military: 11
- Helicopters on order: Roughly 200
11. MH-53E Sea Dragon
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Active in military: 26
- Helicopters on order: 0
10. MH-6 Little Bird
- Type: Light attack/transport insertion platform
- Variants: MD500 (AH/MH-6)
- Active in military: 47
- Helicopters on order: 74
9. Leonardo AW119 Koala
- Type: Trainer
- Active in military: 59
- Helicopters on order: 71
8. TH-57 Sea Ranger
- Type: Trainer
- Active in military: 113
- Helicopters on order: 0
7. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Active in military: 135
- Helicopters on order: 0
6. Bell AH-1Z Viper
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Active in military: 176
- Helicopters on order: 0
5. Bell UH-1
- Type: Combat helicopter, trainer
- Variants: OH-58 Kiowa, UH-1 Iroquois, UH-1N Twin Huey, UH-1Y Venom
- Active in military: 230
- Helicopters on order: 0
4. Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota
- Type: Trainer, utility, and medevac
- Variants: H145 (UH-72A/B)
- Active in military: 460
- Helicopters on order: 30
3. Boeing CH-47 Chinook
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Variants: CH-47D/F/MH-47G
- Active in military: 480
- Helicopters on order: 57
2. Boeing AH-64 Apache
- Type: Combat helicopter
- Variants: AH-64D/E
- Active in military: 730–750
- Helicopters on order: 15
1. S-70 Black Hawk
- Type: Combat helicopter, trainer
- Variants: HH-60G, U, W, MH-60G, EH, MH, UH-60, MH-60R/S, UH-60A/L
- Active in military: 2,100–2,200
- Helicopters on order: 455
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