Size of a Squadron's Maintenance Wing

[Good2Golf]

As for the rather huge numbers of UHs in my proposed tactical aviation regiment, I would have all of them (save the MEDEVAC choppers) be available to give an airmobile capability (like the U.S. 101st Airborne Division) to the brigade.  As we now have active light infantry battalions (3 RCR, 3 PPCLI & 3 R22eR) in the serving brigade groups, giving them the capability to be shuttled by air taxi in lieu of LAV fleets (to avoid the IEDs, of course) to a potential work zone would sound quite comfortable.

Fred, that's not such a bad idea, if the force were larger.  The US Army has several aviation brigades that have Air Assault Battalions (doctrinally 30 UH-60 Blackhawks, formed in three companies of 10 UH-60s each).  The function of the Air Assault Battalion is to, in extremis, land directly (or within enemy weapons' range) of a defended objective, vice the less dangerous airmobile operations where the LZ is not within the range of the majority of an enemy's weapon systems on the objective.

As with benefits, there are disadvantages, as well.  Airmobile forces, while quick to deploy, have very little integral fire support and support echelons (A1, etc...) and thus need well-coordinated fire support and replenishment prior to the troops basic load being used up.  Airmobiles are well suited to activities like opposed obstacle crossings, where the airmobile force can be inserted as the bridgehead force, and be linked back up with its Zulu vehicles once the breakout force has cleared the crossing area.

A slight tangent from your first question, but one worthy of discussions, particularly as air-land integration is picking up steam these days!

Regards
G2G

 

[Gorgo]

Fred, that's not such a bad idea, if the force were larger.  The US Army has several aviation brigades that have Air Assault Battalions (doctrinally 30 UH-60 Blackhawks, formed in three companies of 10 UH-60s each).  The function of the Air Assault Battalion is to, in extremis, land directly (or within enemy weapons' range) of a defended objective, vice the less dangerous airmobile operations where the LZ is not within the range of the majority of an enemy's weapon systems on the objective.

As with benefits, there are disadvantages, as well.  Airmobile forces, while quick to deploy, have very little integral fire support and support echelons (A1, etc...) and thus need well-coordinated fire support and replenishment prior to the troops basic load being used up.  Airmobiles are well suited to activities like opposed obstacle crossings, where the airmobile force can be inserted as the bridgehead force, and be linked back up with its Zulu vehicles once the breakout force has cleared the crossing area.

A slight tangent from your first question, but one worthy of discussions, particularly as air-land integration is picking up steam these days!

Yes, that's true, isn't it?

Also, for those who are interested in this, part of the reason I like to do this sort of thing is that it really depresses me at times to see how little we can actually do with what we have, both full-time and part-time.  With full-time units, we've got infantry battalions that only are allowed to muster three rifle companies these days, armoured units that aren't really hard-hitting unless they get massive fire support from SOMEWHERE, artillery that's back to being towed in lieu of self-propelled, engineers that are just too multi-tasked, not enough MPs in my opinion and loads of other matters.

Sure, we see lots of promises from Ottawa about making things better, but look what's been happening in Afghanistan.  Whenever a battalion battle group has to go someplace, it's also stealing companies from other battalions of the same regiment, which strips down local capabilities to deal with problems like the flood situation in Québec and Manitoba and now Saskatchewan, the brush fires in Alberta and so on and so forth.  I really hope that with things now being drawn down halfway around the world, more money and personnel can be poured into getting the ground brigades (and by extension, the tactical helicopter squadrons that support them) beefed up again so that we CAN be seen as a worthy ally and a country willing to help when needed.

And no matter what, all I can give to everyone in uniform now working their butts off wherever they're posted or assigned to is this:







And I'm about to get off this thread tangent, too.  So again, thanks to everyone who commented on my questions and have a good day!