The Vietnam War witnessed the advent of the attack helicopter. It was the first major conflict that saw widespread use of helicopters in a combat setting. Since then, helicopters have played a role in every major war or conflict. The proliferation of combat helicopters across world militaries has also coincided with their technological evolution. As such, more countries than ever before are adding even more combat helicopters to their ranks. (These are the nations with the largest fleets of military helicopters.)
The most widely sought after combat helicopters are the AH-64 Apache and the S-70 Black Hawk. However, this is not the end of the list. There are a number of other helicopters being added at world militaries that are demonstrably the future of this rotor-based aircraft.
To identify the combat helicopters of the future, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ordered these combat helicopters by how many are currently on order. We also included supplemental data on how many of these helicopters are in active service and what militaries employ these helicopters.
The S-70 Black Hawk is one of the most widely recognizable military helicopters. Introduced to service in 1979 in a medium-lift, multi-mission capacity, the Black Hawk serves a number of roles outside of just combat. It is capable of transport, search and rescue, as well as MedEvac among other roles. When it is deployed for combat, It can be outfitted with a series of machine guns as well as anti-tank missiles and rocket pods.
The AH-64 Apache is a dedicated two-seat attack helicopter primarily designated for combat. It can reach speeds over 180 mph and has an operational range of 298 miles. Much like the Black Hawk, it can be outfitted with anti-tank missiles, rocket pods and machine guns, but it can also equip anti-radiation missiles and even Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.(These are the gunship helicopters of the modern era.)
Here is a look at the combat helicopters of the future:
47. S-92
- Total aircraft on order: 1
- Total active aircraft: 24
- Countries with these aircraft: Canada
46. AW119
- Total aircraft on order: 2
- Total active aircraft: 5
- Countries with these aircraft: Portugal
45. Mi-38
- Total aircraft on order: 2
- Total active aircraft: 2
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
44. AW609 (SAR)
- Total aircraft on order: 3
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: United Arab Emirates
43. Bell 429
- Total aircraft on order: 3
- Total active aircraft: 8
- Countries with these aircraft: Guyana, Jamaica
42. SA315
- Total aircraft on order: 4
- Total active aircraft: 40
- Countries with these aircraft: India
41. AW189
- Total aircraft on order: 8
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Egypt
40. Z-9
- Total aircraft on order: 8
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Venezuela
39. Z-19
- Total aircraft on order: 11
- Total active aircraft: 175
- Countries with these aircraft: China
38. AW109
- Total aircraft on order: 12
- Total active aircraft: 21
- Countries with these aircraft: Argentina, Nigeria
37. Bell 407
![](https://a673b.bigscoots-temp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bell-407-1-1.jpg "User:Mgroessing&action=edit&redlink=1","authorName":"Mgroessing","imgSrc":"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bell_407_GT.JPG"}"")
- Total aircraft on order: 14
- Total active aircraft: 40
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Argentina
36. H125
- Total aircraft on order: 14
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Chile, Argentina, Tanzania
35. Mi-26
- Total aircraft on order: 15
- Total active aircraft: 44
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
34. Mi-35
- Total aircraft on order: 19
- Total active aircraft: 27
- Countries with these aircraft: Ghana, Iraq, Serbia
33. H215M
- Total aircraft on order: 20
- Total active aircraft: 25
- Countries with these aircraft: Romania, Saudia Arabia, Bulgaria
32. AW169
- Total aircraft on order: 28
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Dominican Republic, Austria
31. Z-10
- Total aircraft on order: 29
- Total active aircraft: 109
- Countries with these aircraft: China, Pakistan
30. AW149
- Total aircraft on order: 31
- Total active aircraft: 25
- Countries with these aircraft: Egypt, Poland
29. UH-1Y
- Total aircraft on order: 31
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Czech Republic, Romania
28. AH-6i
- Total aircraft on order: 32
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Jordan, Thailand
27. Mi-8/17/171
- Total aircraft on order: 33
- Total active aircraft: 803
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru
26. Mi-24/35
- Total aircraft on order: 37
- Total active aircraft: 103
- Countries with these aircraft: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mali, Niger
25. MD530
- Total aircraft on order: 42
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Malaysia, Nigeria
24. AW101
- Total aircraft on order: 43
- Total active aircraft: 53
- Countries with these aircraft: Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland
23. Dhruv ALH/Rudra
- Total aircraft on order: 43
- Total active aircraft: 220
- Countries with these aircraft: India
22. AW249
- Total aircraft on order: 48
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Italy
21. S/T-70
- Total aircraft on order: 52
- Total active aircraft: 58
- Countries with these aircraft: Turkey
20. Prachanda (Light Combat Helicopter)
- Total aircraft on order: 60
- Total active aircraft: 5
- Countries with these aircraft: India
19. AH-1Z
- Total aircraft on order: 61
- Total active aircraft: 9
- Countries with these aircraft: Bahamas, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Romania
18. H145
- Total aircraft on order: 63
- Total active aircraft: 408
- Countries with these aircraft: Cyprus, Germany, United States, Serbia
17. CV/MV/V-22
- Total aircraft on order: 77
- Total active aircraft: 367
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Indonesia
16. NH90 (NFH)
- Total aircraft on order: 78
- Total active aircraft: 63
- Countries with these aircraft: Germany, Spain, Qatar, Greece
15. H225M
- Total aircraft on order: 80
- Total active aircraft: 91
- Countries with these aircraft: Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia
14. T129
- Total aircraft on order: 85
- Total active aircraft: 62
- Countries with these aircraft: Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey
13. MD500
- Total aircraft on order: 86
- Total active aircraft: 82
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Saudi Arabia
12. H160M
- Total aircraft on order: 91
- Total active aircraft: 4
- Countries with these aircraft: France
11. AW139
- Total aircraft on order: 94
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Australia, Turkmenistan, United States, Slovenia
10. Light Combat Helicopter
- Total aircraft on order: 111
- Total active aircraft: 3
- Countries with these aircraft: India
9. Mi-28
- Total aircraft on order: 117
- Total active aircraft: 111
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Russia, Venezuela
8. Ka-52
- Total aircraft on order: 141
- Total active aircraft: 137
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
7. Surion KUH-1
- Total aircraft on order: 153
- Total active aircraft: 100
- Countries with these aircraft: South Korea
6. Bell 412
- Total aircraft on order: 156
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Japan
5. Light Attack Helicopter
- Total aircraft on order: 200
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: South Korea
4. CH-53/K
- Total aircraft on order: 211
- Total active aircraft: 33
- Countries with these aircraft: Israel, United States
3. CH-47
- Total aircraft on order: 234
- Total active aircraft: 649
- Countries with these aircraft: United Kingdom, Egypt, South Korea, Spain
2. AH-64
- Total aircraft on order: 327
- Total active aircraft: 980
- Countries with these aircraft: Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United States, India
1. S-70
- Total aircraft on order: 921
- Total active aircraft: 3,240
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Saudi Arabia, India, Taiwan
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