Ukraine’s Army Aviation of the Ground Forces has undergone a fundamental transformation during the full-scale war.

It has had to abandon its previous concept of helicopter employment and evolve into one of the key components of the modern battlefield. Today, its ranks include 15 Heroes of Ukraine.

This was revealed exclusively by a representative of the Army Aviation of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, commenting on the branch’s development under the conditions of full-scale war.

According to him, Army Aviation is no longer merely a means of providing fire support to ground forces. Today, helicopters perform a much broader range of missions — from striking enemy targets, inserting troops, and conducting medical evacuations to the rapid redeployment of forces and countering Russian strike and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The greatest strength of Army Aviation on today’s battlefield is its mobility, adaptability, maneuverability, and precision”, —  the serviceman emphasized.

According to Army Aviation pilots, the most significant changes have taken place since 2022. The very concept of helicopter employment has been revised, new tactical approaches and combat methods have been introduced, weapons systems have been modernized, and the aircraft themselves have been adapted to employ Western-made missile, cannon, and small-arms aviation weaponry. In addition, the helicopters have been equipped with modern equipment and new avionics.

During the years of the full-scale war, Army Aviation crews have taken part in a number of landmark operations. These include the breakthrough flights to the besieged city of Mariupol, the defense of Kyiv, the operation to liberate Snake Island, helicopter raids deep behind enemy lines — including the strike on the oil depot in Belgorod in the spring of 2022 — as well as missions to counter Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the same time, the branch declined to comment on the issue of Ukrainian pilots receiving training abroad to operate foreign-made helicopters, noting that such information is sensitive.

Assessing the future development of Army Aviation, the serviceman acknowledged that unmanned systems have fundamentally changed the nature of modern warfare. However, in their view, the future lies not in replacing manned aviation, but in its close integration with drones.

“Army Aviation has already proven its effectiveness in countering UAVs. The next stage is developing joint tactics for employing manned aviation alongside unmanned systems. Will a machine eventually replace the human in the helicopter cockpit? Perhaps. But certainly not today. And not tomorrow either”, —  the representative of Ukraine’s Army Aviation concluded.