The Experience Of The War In Ukraine Is Changing Aviation

• 19.10.2025, 17:14

There is a particular focus on unmanned systems.

The war in Ukraine has shown how vulnerable helicopters are on the front lines, subject to ground fire, drone attacks and base attacks. U.S. Army commanders are learning those lessons, writes TWZ (translated by Charter97.org).

"We have to learn the right lessons," said Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. He noted that the Ukrainian war is being fought in a "positional drone warfare" environment, and the U.S. Army and joint force approach is characterized by careful planning and exploitation of all joint combat capabilities.

Brig. Gen. Phillip Baker emphasized the need for precise mission planning, intelligence integration and fire control. New systems, including satellite communications, networking technology and sensors, will allow helicopters to operate in difficult conditions - at night, in dusty and degraded visibility.

Special emphasis is being placed on developing strike and reconnaissance capabilities using unmanned systems and long-range weapons, such as Spike-NLOS for Apache helicopters. This weapon allows to hit targets tens of kilometers away, staying out of the enemy's range.

Gill noted that in the future it will be unmanned systems that will be the "spearhead" of operations, while manned aviation will remain for tasks where humans are needed.

The U.S. Army's helicopter fleets, including the Black Hawk, Chinook and Apache, will continue to serve for many years to come. The MV-75 Valor tilt-rotor is also under development, integrating lessons from Ukraine - survivability, network systems integration, and remote impact capabilities.

U.S. Army command emphasizes that aviation survival and effectiveness depend not only on equipment, but also on crew training, ground support mobility, and continuous airspace control. Ukraine's experience shows that modern warfare requires a combination of technology, precise planning, and the interaction of manned and unmanned platforms.