FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- He called it having a "monastic moment" - an "aha" moment about the future of Army Aviation based on the branch chief's recent work and reflection.
Brig. Gen. Anthony G. Crutchfield, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general, told attendees at the annual Association of the U.S. Army's Aviation Symposium in Maryland Jan. 14 his top imperative for Army Aviation is to develop the correct Aviation force for the future, and avoid repeating some of its past mistakes.
"We've got to look beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to be informed by it, but we need to look beyond where we are today so we know where we're going in the future to meet that end state. We have to do this rapidly to meet the demands of what the commanders need in the field. We have to produce rapidly and decisively for all of them," Crutchfield said.
The inspiration behind Crutchfield's sense of urgency to chart the future now, and learn from history as Army Aviation develops the right future force, was a combination of the notes he took from visits with Aviators and non-Aviators shortly after he assumed command at Fort Rucker last summer, and from a recent eye-opening visit to the U.S. Army Aviation Museum on Fort Rucker.
Aircraft timelines for the Comanche and the UH-1 Huey can serve as a lesson learned for the future of Army Aviation, he said.
It took eight years from requirement to production of the UH-1. There were about 7,000 of those aircraft in Vietnam, more than 16,000 of them were built, and the aircraft served the Army for more than 45 years. For the Comanche, in eight years the only progress on the timeline was coming up with a name for the aircraft. In 22 years, only two of the aircraft were produced, he said.
Crutchfield said he believes many of the decision makers got it right, brought Army Aviation to where it is today, and formed the basis of current AirLand Battle Doctrine. Comparing the numbers and timelines for the two aircraft, however, made him think about how to approach the future.
"That was my 'monastic' moment," Crutchfield said. "Both of them, the UH-1 and the Comanche, are sitting in a museum."
What it boils down to is the need to come up with what Crutchfield called an "aim point," and stick with it. Though technology and the environment may change, that fixed point must remain the same, he said.
Current major programs of record whose system lifespans run out in the next 20 years include OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, CH-47F Chinook, UH-60M Black Hawk and Block III Apache.
The future environment will include full-spectrum combat Aviation, focusing against a hybrid, adaptive threat, and that future operations will be in complex terrain. Future aircraft will need to deliver payload (equipment or people), or deliver fires on the battlefield in a timely fashion, and carry heavier loads. The aim point for these requirements is 2030, Crutchfield said.
"We have to lay out what we need after that generation of aircraft. The branch has to do that. And we've got to set an aim point and drive to that aim point, and not move it. And we have to do this rapidly to meet the needs of commanders worldwide today and in the future. We may not get it all right but we cannot afford to get it all wrong," Crutchfield said. "The time to look forward is now."
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