When most people think about the U.S. Army, aircraft don’t immediately come to mind. Yet the fact is that the supposed ground-pounding branch of the U.S. armed services is anything but. This incredible graphic from our friends a Contemporary Issues and Geography gives us a unique insight into the structure and the size of the Army’s aviation forces.
The full-size chart is available by clicking here, a sample size version is below:
The sheer number of helicopters at the Army’s disposal is downright amazing, but the force’s use of fixed-wing aircraft for special purposes, especially as flying limousines for high-up officials, is interesting as well. Also, note the size and make-up of the vaunted 160th Special Operations unit at the bottom.
In all, when the Army’s aerial inventory is presented in such an easy to quantify visual format, the size of the force may be surprising to some.
Contact the author at Tyler@jalopnik.com.