Since the dramatic cancellation of the stealthy Comanche attack helicopter in 2004, U.S. Army aviation has used the released funds to embark on a major rejuvenation by modernizing and augmenting the existing AH-64, UH-60 and CH-47 fleets, as well as procuring two new types. While the now-defunct Comanche program was a revolutionary design that promised to transform the battlefield, current procurement centers on a more evolutionary approach based on two existing off-the-shelf types–Bell’s Model 407 and Eurocopter’s EC 145.
The U.S. Army unveiled its Aviation Transformation Plan (ATP-04) in late February 2004. In addition to restructuring the aviation units in the light of experience from the global war on terror, the new plan outlined a major revitalization of the helicopter fleet. The centerpiece of ATP-04 was the shock cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, which released $14.6 billion.
