US Army explores sea-basing of Apache helos on USN warships

[CougarKing]

Isn't the British Army Air Corps already using its Apaches the same way by basing them on the assault carrier/LPH HMS Ocean?

Defense News

US Army Explores Sea-Basing Helos
Apr. 13, 2014 - 10:35AM  |  By MARCUS WEISGERBER and PAUL McLEARY

WASHINGTON — The US Army is considering certifying some of its attack helicopters to operate from ships — a mission historically conducted by the Marine Corps — as the service looks to broaden the role it would play in an Asia-Pacific battle.

Operating from ships at sea “seems to be a growth capability, and we do sense that there is increasing demand out there” in South Korea and US Central Command, said the Army’s director of aviation, Col. John Lindsay, at an April 8 event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.


The service has been running drills on landing AH-64 Apache helicopters on Navy ships in recent months, but “we’ve gotta make sure that we have the appropriate demand signal coming in from the combatant commanders,” Lindsay said, to determine “how much maritime capability does the Army need to invest in.”

(...EDITED)

 

[a_majoor]

Interesting, but is the Army going to spend the money to marinize the AH-64's? The salt water environment will play havoc on the Apaches.

It might actually be better in the long run to replace the USMC Sea Cobras with a navalized version of the AH-64 if they want that capability and interoperability..

 

[Phoenix80]

Sounds like what the Brits have done since retiring their Harriers.
Althought The US Army special ops aviation regiment has a history of staging off US naval ships. They did so during the Tanker War of the mid 1980s in the Persian Gulf.

 

[daftandbarmy]

HMS Ocean launches AH 64s against Libya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMPXIRCtp1o

 

[midget-boyd91]

Army naval aviation. That takes multitasking to a new level.

 

[George Wallace]

It might actually be better in the long run to replace the USMC Sea Cobras with a navalized version of the AH-64 if they want that capability and interoperability..

The Marines could have done this years ago, but probably realized the number of aircraft Flights would have been reduced by a third, at the minimum, reducing their capabilities.  I don't think they wanted to give up a third of their air support for a larger aircraft. 

 

[CougarKing]

Wouldn't the US Marine Corps be leery of the US Army Aviation units intruding on an area  (ship-based aviation) they only previously shared with the USN?

AUSA 2014: US Army preps Apaches for sea-basing

Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
14 October 2014

The US Army is marinising the AH-64E as the Pentagon shifts its focus to Asia. Source: US Army

The maritime targeting mode upgrade will be a production Lot 6 "capability insertion" for the AH-64E. In addition to radar changes, the update includes modernising the Apache's unmanned aircraft tactical common datalink assembly (UTA) software, which Apache pilots use to control unmanned aircraft such as the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle. The Apache will be given the ability to communicate with other aircraft via Link 16, a digital datalink used by fixed-wing aircraft.

Sea-basing army assets may pose challenges beyond simply making sure the land service's equipment is effective in a maritime environment. For example, the US Marine Corps (USMC) has already expressed consternation over its amphibious ship numbers in the Pacific. Top USMC leaders have welcomed the army's assets to the region but have raised concerns about shipboard training space.

IHS Jane's 360

 

[Kirkhill]

Taken together with this below ---- is the Army poaching on Marine turf?

http://army.ca/forums/threads/116693/post-1334198.html#msg1334198

Army to Buy Small Boats to Expand Maritime Mission

By Brendan McGarry Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 2:54 pm
Posted in Land, Naval

As it rethinks its global posture for a possible shift to the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. Army wants to buy a new fleet of small boats and upgrade existing watercraft, an official said.

The land force and largest branch of the U.S. military has more than 100 vessels in its inventory — including the Cold War-era Landing Craft Mechanized-8 “Mike” boat, as well as the larger Logistics Support Vessel, LSV, and Landing Craft Utility, or LCU-2000 — to support combat and humanitarian missions.

The Army is gearing up to solicit proposals to replace the so-called Mike boats as part of a new acquisition program to buy three dozen craft called the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), according to Scott Davis, who heads the service’s Combat Support and Combat Service Support office in Warren, Michigan.

(...SNIPPED)

The last time that the Army tried this the USAF took away their C27 JCAs and shut down the line while the USN took away their HSVs and civilianized them.