The strategic environment of warfare is being fundamentally transformed in ways that have not been seen before. For decades, military doctrine has been predicated on the principle that air superiority – degree of control necessary for the successful execution of joint operations – is won in the ‘blue skies’ at medium to high altitudes. This model assumed that once achieved, such superiority would extend to all altitudes, enabling ground and maritime forces to operate with impunity below this controlled plane. However, recent conflicts and fast paced proliferation of low-cost, high-impact technologies has fundamentally altered this calculus, thus creating a strategic ‘decoupling’ of air control from the upper to the lower tiers of the battlespace. Rotary Wing (RW) aircrafts, long established as the dominant platform in this airspace are now being assumed to have diminished operational relevance. This article argues that the employability of helicopters in modern battlefield is not dead; it is merely in a violent period of tactical transition. By embracing the concept of Air Littoral, leveraging Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) and adopting ‘stand-in’ force tactics, RW aviation will remain a key element of joint operations in Air Littoral.
The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, India is an independent think tank on strategic studies and land warfare. The mandate of CLAWS covers national security issues, conventional military operations and sub-conventional warfare.