Eyes on target: scout helicopters carve out a lasting impression

Reconnaissance has been an integral part of military helicopter operations since rotorcraft first appeared on the battlefield. Around 60 years later, the demand for scout helicopters remains high.

The helicopter's incredible agility and its ability to hover and 'hide' behind even relatively austere cover make it an ideal platform to observe and relay intelligence back to ground troops or other aircraft. The weight and bulk of traditional weapon systems encouraged the twin-track development of helicopters along scout and attack roles, with small and nimble, but often unarmed and unarmoured, helicopters seeking out targets for their heavier attack brethren to engage.

But the teaming of small, lithe reconnaissance helicopters with machine guns, rockets and lightweight air-to-ground missiles has enabled them to tighten up the sensor-to-shooter loop and engage a wide range of targets directly. Likewise, the proliferation of advanced radar and electro-optical (EO) sensors in attack helicopters has blurred the requirement for role-specific scout helicopters. If attack helicopters can find their own targets so well, why use scouts?

Indeed, most Apaches spend much of their time in Afghanistan operating without scouts. Nevertheless, even in the face of the ubiquitous reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle, some major forces' doctrines continue to see a requirement for dedicated scout aircraft fitted with powerful sensors - particularly EO, but also radars.