An Analysis of U.S. Army Helicopter Programs. A CBO Study

The Army's helicopters play an important role in the conduct of ground combat operations on the modern battlefield. Although the Army has invested heavily in its helicopter fleet during the past 15 years, it still retains many Vietnam era helicopters in its inventory. The Army's plans for modernizing its helicopters focus on its attack and scout aircraft, with no major programs for replacing or overhauling its aging utility helicopters. Furthermore, because the Army's new reconnaissance and attack helicopter, the Comanche, will not begin to enter the fleet for at least 10 years, the Army will have to retain many older combat helicopters for at least another 20 years. This analysis, conducted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) at the request of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, examines several alternatives for modernizing the Army's helicopters and compares the costs and benefits of each alternative with the Army's plan for its helicopter fleet. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective analysis, the study makes no recommendations.