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Facing a skeptical panel of lawmakers during a sometimes fractious hearing on May 7, U.S. Army leaders defended a recent proposal to retire about half the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter fleet, curtail further purchases of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV and consider autonomous alternatives to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
In a sign of possible squabbles with congressional appropriators over details of proposed budget cuts to the Army’s crewed helicopter fleet, a question about the future relevance of the Black Hawk stirred a tense exchange during the hearing of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), whose congressional district is the home of Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky, hailed the “integral role” played by the Black Hawk, then asked newly confirmed Army Secretary David Driscoll for his assessment.
“I appreciate that your constituency involves the Black Hawk and the Americans who have made it,” Driscoll said. “Our constituency is the American soldier and the taxpayer whose dollar—”
DeLauro interrupted: “It’s not just a constituency issue here, though. It’s about the Black Hawk and what it has meant to the safety of our soldiers and the national security of this country. That is my primary goal in addressing this issue. This is not just a willy-nilly constituent question.”
Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, intervened. Citing his experience with and admiration for the Black Hawk during a 40-year career, George noted that the UH-60’s unchallenged role as the Army’s premier utility rotorcraft could soon be ending.
“I do think I see drones in the future being able to pick up and actually move artillery tubes,” George said. “We’ve done that with Black Hawks in the past. So I think that there’s other things that are going to change on the battlefield. I see Black Hawks are going to be with us for a while, but I do think we’re going to have to adapt what (we’re) doing. There just may be [fewer] Black Hawks.”
George’s remarks failed to reassure DeLauro. “That is troubling, because folks who preceded you were very, very clear about the role of the Black Hawk going forward in the future,” she said. “The Army needs stability. Our workers need stability here.”
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) also objected to the Army’s plans to divest the AH-64D fleet–leaving units with only the newer AH-64E–and halting MQ-1C purchases. “Ending Apache and Gray Eagle will leave a serious gap in our attack and [reconnaissance] abilities,” Rogers said.
But George said a recent brigade deployment in Europe lacked AH-64s but was three times more effective by operating a fleet of small drones and loitering munitions, plus fielding long-range artillery and ballistic missiles. Small drones that can takeoff and land vertically are simpler and cheaper to operate, he said, noting it takes a 150-person company to operate MQ-1Cs.
“We can have a crew of two or three run a drone that could be pulled right out of the back of a truck or one of our utility vehicles, and it can operate,” George said. “So I think we can actually increase our lethality when we infuse our formations with this.”
Driscoll also noted the Army has no plans to retire the MQ-1Cs already purchased. “We want to continue to use them, and they do serve a purpose,” he said. “What we are advocating for is not purchasing any more because there are a lot of solutions on the market that we think we need to be testing and spending on to figure out what works best.”
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