View source for Air assault

{{Short description|Military movement of ground forces by air into combat or unsecured areas}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Airmobile|Air-mobile|AeroMobile|Aeromobil}}
[[File:UH 60 Black Hawk helicopters from 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[UH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopters transporting troops for an air assault exercise]]
{{History of war}}

'''Air assault''' is the movement of ground-based [[military]] forces by [[vertical take-off and landing]] (VTOL) aircraft, such as [[helicopter]]s, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy lines.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/air-assault.htm |title=Air Assault Operations |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name = russ63>Russ & Susan Bryant P.63</ref> In addition to regular [[infantry]] training, air-assault units usually receive training in [[rappelling]], [[fast-roping]] techniques, and [[airborne forces|air transportation]]. Their equipment is sometimes designed or field-modified to allow better transportation and/or carrying within aircraft.

The [[United States Army]] field manual FM 1-02 (FM 101-5-1) describes an "air assault operation" as an operation in which assault forces (combat, combat support, and combat service support), using the firepower, mobility, and total integration of helicopter assets, maneuver on the battlefield under the control of the ground or air maneuver commander to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain usually behind enemy lines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/2513344/Army-FM1-02-Operational-Terms-and-Graphics|title = Army - FM1 02 - Operational Terms and Graphics &#124; PDF &#124; Artillery &#124; Airborne Forces}}</ref>

Due to the transport load restrictions of helicopters, air assault forces are usually [[light infantry]], though some armored fighting vehicles, like the Russian [[BMD-1]] are designed to fit most [[heavy lift helicopter]]s, which enable assaulting forces to combine air mobility with a certain degree of ground mechanization. Invariably the assaulting troops are highly dependent on [[Close air support|aerial fire support]] provided by the [[attack helicopter]]s, [[armed helicopter]]s, and/or [[fixed-wing aircraft]] escorting them. A concept called ''mounted vertical maneuver'' requires the ability to transport light, motorized, or medium-weight mechanized force by VTOL or super [[STOL]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/military-review/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20070228_art009.pdf |title=A Giant Leap Forward in Maneuver and Sustainment|work=Military Review|first1= Robin P. |last1=Swan|first2= Scott R.|last2= McMichael|date = January–February 2007}}</ref>

Air assault should not be confused with ''air attack'', ''[[air strike]]'', or ''air raid'', which all refer to attack using solely aircraft (for example [[bombardment|bombing]], [[strafing]], etc.). Moreover, air assault should not be confused with an [[Airborne forces|airborne assault]], which occurs when [[paratroopers]], and their weapons and supplies, are [[airdrop|dropped]] by [[parachute]] from [[Military transport aircraft|transport aircraft]], often as part of a [[strategic offensive]] operation.

== Organization and employment ==
[[File:Royal-marines-lynx.jpg|thumb|right|[[Royal Marines Commandos]] preparing to abseil down from a Royal Marines [[Lynx helicopter]] from [[847 Naval Air Squadron]] (NAS), used in utility support of [[3 Commando Brigade]]. They can also act as attack helicopters with the addition of two pods of four TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles.]]
Air assault and air mobility are related concepts. However, air assault is distinctly a combat insertion rather than transportation to an area in the vicinity of combat.

Air assault units can vary in organization; using helicopters not only in transport but also as [[Close air support|close air fire support]], [[medical evacuation]] helicopters and resupply missions. Airmobile artillery is often assigned to air assault deployments. Units vary in size, but are typically [[Company (military unit)|company]] to
[[brigade]] sized units.

Airmobile units are designed and trained for air insertion and vertical envelopment ("a maneuver in which troops, either air-dropped or air-landed, attack the rear and flanks of a force, in effect cutting off or encircling the force",<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-verticalenvelopment.html Vertical Envelopment], [[encyclopedia.com]], Retrieved 2009-12-03. Quotes "The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military").</ref> air resupply, and if necessary air extraction.

One specific type of air assault unit is the US Army [[air cavalry]]. It differs from regular air assault units only in fulfilling a traditional cavalry [[reconnaissance]] and short raids role. Britain's [[16 Air Assault Brigade]] was formed in 1999 following an amalgamation of elements of [[5th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|5th Infantry Brigade]] (5 Airborne Brigade) and [[24 Airmobile Brigade]], bringing together the agility and reach of airborne forces with the potency of the attack helicopter.<ref>[http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/12409.aspx 16 Air Assault Brigade] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302081605/http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/12409.aspx |date=2011-03-02 }}</ref> Similarly, the US [[101st Airborne Division]] was originally classed as airborne, then airmobile and now air assault.

== History ==
Air mobility has been a key concept in offensive operations since the 1930s. Initial approaches to air mobility focused on parachutists and the use of [[military glider]]s. During World War II many assaults were done by military gliders. The World War Two era German [[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]], [[Brandenburgers]], and the [[22nd Air Landing Division (Wehrmacht)|22nd Air Landing Division]] glider borne paras laid the foundation for modern day air assault operations.<ref name=warrior/><ref>Ailsby P.18,19,91</ref> In 1941 the U.S. Army quickly adopted this concept of offensive operations initially utilizing wooden gliders before the development of helicopters.<ref name=warrior>{{cite web|url=https://semo.edu/pdf/showmegold-AA-guide.pdf|title=Air Assault Training|publisher=Warrior Training Center|access-date=23 December 2022}}</ref> Following the war, faster aircraft led to the abandonment of the flimsy wooden gliders with the then new helicopters taking their place. Four [[YR-4B]] helicopters saw limited service in the [[China Burma India]] theatre with the [[1st Air Commando Group]]<ref>pp.49–51 Boyne, Walter J. ''How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare'' Pelican Publishing, 2011</ref>

In 1943 the Germans conducted the [[Gran Sasso raid]] which implemented many aspects of the air assault concept. Another example was the German [[Brandenburgers]]' glider borne operation at Ypenburg during World War Two.<ref>Ailsby P.91</ref>

In 1946, [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] General [[Roy Geiger|Roy S. Geiger]] observed the atomic bomb tests at [[Bikini Atoll]] and instantly recognized that atomic bombs could render amphibious landings difficult because of the dense concentrations of troops, ships and material at beachheads. During this time, The [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant of the Marine Corps]], [[Alexander Vandegrift]], convened a special board known as the [[Robert E. Hogaboom|Hogaboom Board]]. This board recommended that the USMC develop transport helicopters in order to allow a diffused attack on enemy shores. It also recommended that the USMC form an experimental helicopter squadron. [[HMX-1]] was commissioned in 1947 with [[Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation|Sikorsky]] [[H-5 Dragonfly|HO3S-1s]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Marines and Helicopters 1946–1962|last=Rawlins |first=Eugene W.|year=1976 |publisher=[[United States Marine Corps History and Museums Division]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|page=20}}</ref> In 1948 the Marine Corps Schools came out with ''Amphibious Operations—Employment of Helicopters (Tentative)'', or ''Phib-31'', which was the first US manual for helicopter airmobile operations.<ref>Rawlins, ''Marines and Helicopters 1946–1962'', p. 35</ref> The Marines used the term [[vertical envelopment]] instead of air mobility or air assault. HMX-1 performed its first vertical envelopment from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an exercise in 1949.

American forces later used helicopters for support and transport to great effect during the [[Korean War]] showing that the helicopter could be a versatile and powerful military tool.<ref>[http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Rotary/Heli_at_War/HE14.htm Helicopters at War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414001319/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Rotary/Heli_at_War/HE14.htm |date=2010-04-14 }} – US Centennial of Flight Commission</ref>

=== First helicopter air assaults ===
The first helicopter airlift and helicopter sling load mission was conducted on September 13, 1951, during the [[Korean War]].<ref>{{cite book|url = http://www.koreanwar2.org/kwp2/usmckorea/PDF_Monographs/KoreanWar.Whirlybirds.pdf |title =Whirlybirds – US Marine Helicopters in Korea|page= 46|first = Ronald J. |last =Brown|date = 2003|publisher = U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center}}</ref> "Operation Windmill I" was conducted by the [[United States Marine Corps]] in support of a battalion clearing the enemy from a series of ridges around a basin called "[[Punchbowl (Korean War)|The Punchbowl]]." In total seven [[HRS-1]] Marine helicopters made 28 flights that delivered 8,550&nbsp;kg (18,848 pounds) of supplies and evacuated 74 seriously wounded men.

On November 5, 1956, the [[Royal Marines]]' [[British No. 45 Commando|45 Commando]] performed the world's first combat helicopter insertion with air assault during an amphibious landing as part of [[Suez Crisis|Operation Musketeer]], in [[Suez]], [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/The-Royal-Marines/3-Commando-Brigade |title = 3 Commando Brigade|website = Royal Navy|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130425193820/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/The-Royal-Marines/3-Commando-Brigade |archive-date = 25 April 2013}}</ref> 650 marines and 23 tons of equipment were flown in ten [[Westland Whirlwind (helicopter)|Westland Whirlwind Mark 2s]] of 845 Naval Air Squadron from the deck of [[HMS Theseus (R64)|HMS ''Theseus'']], and six each Whirlwinds and [[Bristol Aeroplane Company|Bristol]] [[Bristol Sycamore|Sycamore HC.12s]] and [[Bristol Sycamore|HC.14s]] off {{HMS|Ocean|R68|6}}{{'}}s embarked Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit (JEHU) ([[Royal Air Force]]). <blockquote>The plan was to use the helicopters to drop No. 45 Commando at Raswa, to the south of Port Said, in order to secure two vital bridges. Last-minute concerns about their vulnerability to ground fire meant that they were replaced in this role by French paratroops who conducted a daring low-level drop on 5 November, securing one of the two bridges intact. Instead No. 45 Commando was landed the following day, disembarking close to the seafront in the aftermath of the seaborne landing that had secured the area. This first-ever operational use of helicopters to land troops during an amphibious assault proved successful. With their carriers lying nine miles offshore, the marines were landed far more quickly than could have been achieved using landing craft, and without the need to get their boots wet. However ... they landed the marines in much the same place that old style landing craft would have put them.<ref>Tim Benbow, ''British Naval Aviation: The First 100 Years'', Ashgate Publishing, 2011, p. 161</ref></blockquote>

In 1956, the United States Marine Corps executed the first Division-strength exercise of vertical envelopment when the 1st Marine Division was helicopter-lifted from converted WWII jeep carriers to landing sites at Camp Pendleton, CA, U.S. Marine Corps Base. One of the ships utilized for this exercise was the USS ''Thetis Bay''. This exercise was the culmination of the Marines' developing strategy of vertical envelopment rather than amphibious assaults on heavily defended beaches. The maneuvers were well-covered by the media of the time, including LIFE Magazine. The Marine Corps subsequently adopted this method as standard operating procedure after proving that helicopters could be used to transport very large numbers of troops and large amounts of supplies in a timely fashion.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

[[Operation Deep Water]] was a 1957 NATO naval exercise held in the Mediterranean Sea that involved the first units of the [[United States Marine Corps]] to participate in a helicopter-borne vertical envelopment operation during an overseas deployment.

During the Vietnam war the U.S. Army's [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division]] conducted the first large scale air assault operation in combat during the [[Battle of Ia Drang]].<ref name="books.google.com">Whittle, Richard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_9Asc0bgm_cC ''The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey''] p. 41. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. {{ISBN|1-4165-6295-8}}.</ref>

=== Algerian War ===
The use of armed helicopters coupled with helicopter transport during the [[Algerian War]] for the [[French Army]] to drop troops into enemy territory gave birth to the tactics of airmobile warfare that continues today.<ref>[http://histoire-militaire.pagesperso-orange.fr/aviation/helicoalgerie.htm helicopters during the war in Algeria], Military History</ref>

The machines of the [[French Army Light Aviation]] carried out a considerable number of missions against Algerian insurgents between 1955, when the ''Groupe d’Hélicoptères'' No.2 (GH 2) was created, and 1962 when the French colonial rule in Algeria finally came to an end. GH 2 was based at Sétif – Aïn Arnat in the east of the country, and it was equipped primarily with machines to undertake transport missions, though the [[CH-21 Shawnee|Vertol H-21C]], would soon join the unit owing to concerns about the lack of machines which could both defend themselves and carry out offensive missions against the insurgents. Acquiring these machines lay in the hands of the licensee [[Piasecki]] given France's urgent need to have them on account of the circumstances. Usually, the H-21 could carry up to 18 troops, yet local operating (as well as climatic) conditions decreed that the French army examples could carry only up to around 12 troops each. In two years, GH 2 received the vast majority of the H-21s acquired by ALAT, which consisted of five squadrons by the end of 1958. A sixth squadron from the French naval air arm, the ''Aéronautique navale'', had operated with GH 2 for little more than a year.

From 1955 to 1962, GH 2 took part in the major battles, which occurred near the frontier between Algeria and Tunisia, including the battle of Souk-Ahras in April 1958. The helicopters, including types such as the H-21, the Alouette II, the [[Sikorsky Aircraft|Sikorsky]] H-19 and [[Sikorsky H-34]], together aggregated over 190,000 flying hours in Algeria (over 87,000 for the H-21 alone) and helped to evacuate over 20,000 French combatants from the combat area, including nearly 2,200 at night. By the time the war in Algeria had ended, eight officers and 23 non-commissioned officers from ALAT had died in the course of their duties.

=== Vietnam War ===
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2023}}
[[File:UH-1D helicopters in Vietnam 1966.jpg|left|thumb|Extraction of troops after an airmobile assault during the Vietnam War.]]
[[File:Troops leaving UH-1 copter.jpg|left|thumb| Troops dismounting a UH-1 during the Vietnam War.]]
[[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[Piasecki H-21|CH-21]] helicopter transports arrived in [[South Vietnam]] on 11 December 1961. Air assault operations using [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] (ARVN) troops began 12 days later in [[Operation Chopper (Vietnam)|Operation Chopper]]. These were very successful at first but the [[Viet Cong]] (VC) began developing counter helicopter techniques, and at the [[Battle of Ap Bac]] in January 1963, 13 of 15 helicopters were hit and four shot down. The Army began adding machine guns and rockets to their smaller helicopters and developed the first purpose built [[helicopter gunship|gunship]] with the [[U.S. Helicopter Armament Subsystems|M-6E3 armament system]].

U.S. Marine helicopter squadrons began four-month rotations through Vietnam as part of Operation SHUFLY on 15 April 1962. Six days later, they performed the first helicopter assault using U.S. Marine helicopters and ARVN troops. After April 1963, as losses began to mount, U.S. Army [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|UH-1 Huey]] gunships escorted the Marine transports. The VC again used effective counter landing techniques and in Operation Sure Wind 202 on 27 April 1964, 17 of 21 helicopters were hit and three shot down.

The [[2nd Battalion 3rd Marines]] made a night helicopter assault in the Elephant Valley south of [[Da Nang]] on 13 August 1965 shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in country. HMM-361 commanded by LtCol Tom Ross. On 17 August 1965 in [[Operation Starlite]] the [[2nd Battalion 4th Marines]] landed in three helicopter landing zones (LZs) west of the 1st VC Regiment in the Van Tuong village complex, {{convert|12|mi|km}} south of [[Chu Lai]], while the [[3rd Battalion 3rd Marines]] used seaborne landing craft on the beaches to the east. The transport helicopters were 24 [[Sikorsky H-34|UH-34s]] from [[HMH-361|HMM-361]], [[HMM-261]] and HMM-161 in relief, escorted by Marine and Army Hueys from VMO-2 and VMO-6 led by Maj Donald G. Radcliff, US Army who was killed in action. VC losses were 614 killed, Marine losses were 45 KIA and 203 WIA.

The need for a new type of unit became apparent to the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board (normally referred to as the [[Howze Board]]) of the U.S. Army in 1962. The Board met at a difficult time; the bulk of the military hierarchy were focused primarily on the Soviet threat to Western Europe, and perceived as requiring heavy, conventional units. The creation of new, light airmobile units could only occur at the expense of heavier units. At the same time, the incoming Kennedy administration was placing a much greater emphasis on the need to fight 'small wars', or counter-insurgencies, and was strongly supportive of officers such as [[Hamilton H. Howze|General Howze]] who were embracing new technologies.<ref>Freedman, Lawrence ''Kennedy's Wars: Berlin, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam'' Oxford University Press: Oxford (2000) pp. 334–35.</ref> The Board concluded that a new form of unit would be required, and commissioned tests – but justified these at the time on the need to fight a conventional war in Europe.<ref>Krepinevich, Andrew F. ''The Army and Vietnam''. Johns Hopkins Press: Baltimore (1986) pp. 121–22.</ref>

Initially a new experimental unit was formed at [[Fort Benning]], Georgia, the [[U.S. 11th Air Assault Division|11th Air Assault Division]] on 11 February 1963, combining light infantry with integral helicopter transport and air support. Opinions vary as to the level of support for the concept within the Army; some have argued that the initial tests against the context of conventional warfare did not prove promising, and, despite opposition from the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], it was primarily the Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] who pushed through the changes in 1965, drawing on support from within the Pentagon which had now begun to establish a counter-insurgency doctrine that would require just such a unit.<ref>Krepinevich, Andrew F. ''The Army and Vietnam'' Johns Hopkins Press: Baltimore (1986) p.124.</ref> Others have put more weight on the support of newly appointed senior Army commanders, including the new Chief of Staff [[Earle G. Wheeler|General Wheeler]], in driving through the changes.<ref>Stockfisch, J. A. ''The 1962 Howze board and Army Combat Developments'' Rand Corporation: Santa Monica, C.A. (1994) pp9-10. Online at https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR435.pdf</ref> Nonetheless, the 11th Air Assault Division assets were merged with the co-located [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]] and reflagged as the [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)]], continuing the tradition of the 1st Cavalry Division. Within several months it was sent to Vietnam and the concept of air mobility became bound up with the challenges of that campaign, especially its varied [[terrain]] – the jungles, mountains, and rivers which complicated ground movement.

The first unit of the new division to see major combat was the 1st Battalion, [[7th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|7th Cavalry Regiment]], 1st Cavalry Division, led by [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Hal Moore|Harold G. Moore]]. The 7th Cavalry was the same regiment that Custer had commanded at the ill-fated [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]]. On November 14, 1965, Moore led his troops in the first large unit engagement of the Vietnam War, which took place near the Chu Pong massif near the Vietnam-[[Cambodia]] border. It is known today as the [[Battle of Ia Drang Valley]], and is considered to be the first large scale helicopter air assault.<ref name="books.google.com"/>

[[File:1st Cav at LZ Stud.jpg|thumb|1st Cavalry Division forces at LZ Stud.]]

[[File:LRPs directing artillery.jpg|thumb|1st Cavalry Division troops directing artillery on enemy trucks in A Shau Valley.]]

This battalion (vice "squadron," which would have been its nomenclature had it actually been a cavalry organization) gave common currency, albeit incorrectly, to the U.S. term "Air Cavalry." However, 1-7 Cav was in actuality an infantry formation carrying a "Cavalry" designation purely for purposes of lineage and heraldry. (True air cavalry organizations are/were helicopter-mounted reconnaissance units.) Light infantry-centric organizations (battalions, brigades, or divisions) that are trained, organized, and equipped to operate with organic (i.e., owned by the joint parent headquarters of both the light infantry organization and the supporting aviation organization) are classified as "Air Assault," previously designated as "Airmobile."

The Vietnam-era 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was not an "air cavalry" division, per se, although it did contain air cavalry squadrons. The division was a new concept that probably was more akin to a modern version of "mounted rifles," owing to its helicopter "mounts," and, as did 1-7 Cav discussed above, carried the "Cavalry" designation primarily for purposes of lineage and heraldry, and not because of its then current mission or organizational structure.

On a practical level, virtually any light infantry formation can instantly become "airmobile" simply by dividing the assault elements into "chalks" (aircraft load designations pertaining to order of loading and type of aircraft), embarking them on the aircraft, transporting them to the objective/assembly area, and inserting/disembarking them into a landing zone, etc. However, true "air assault" organizations are specialized light infantry (much like airborne troops), who are trained, organized, and equipped specifically to perform the complex, rapid, and dynamic tasks inherent in air assault vice simply being transported by aircraft. Perhaps a rough comparison can be made between "motorized" and "mechanized" infantry. Any light infantry unit can be transported by truck (viz., "motorized"), however, "mechanized" infantry are specifically trained, organized, and equipped to conduct operations in close-coordination with tanks.

=== Southern African wars ===
[[File:AssaltonaMatadaSanga.jpg|left|thumb|Portuguese Paratroopers jumping from an [[Alouette III]] helicopter, in an air assault in Angola, in the early 1960s.]]
The armed forces of [[Portuguese Armed Forces|Portugal]], [[Rhodesian Security Forces|Rhodesia]] and [[South African Defence Force|South Africa]] widely conducted airmobile warfare operations in [[Southern Africa]], during the [[Portuguese Colonial War]] (1961–1974), the [[Rhodesian Bush War]] (1964–1979) and the [[South African Border War]] (1966–1990). The airmobile warfare was part of the [[counter-insurgency]] actions made by the forces of the three countries against guerrilla forces in [[Portuguese Angola|Angola]], [[Portuguese Guinea]], [[Rhodesia]], [[Portuguese Mozambique|Mozambique]] and [[South-West Africa]].

The airmobile warfare tactics used by Portugal, Rhodesia and South Africa had many similar characteristics. The air forces of the three countries also used the same types of helicopters (mainly [[Alouette III]] and later, regarding Portugal and South Africa, [[Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma|SA 330 Puma]]), and there were military cooperation agreements and sharing of experience between the three powers, including the secret [[Alcora Exercise]].

Portuguese, Rhodesian and South African airmobile tactics often involved air assaults done by small units of [[special forces]] or [[light infantry]], transported in four or five Alouette III helicopters. Assaults were often supported by an Alouette III armed with a side-mounted 20&nbsp;mm [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151]] [[autocannon]]. This helicopter was nicknamed ''Helicanhão'' (heli-cannon) by the Portuguese and ''K-Car'' by the Rhodesians. Variants of the air mobile warfare tactics used in Africa included the Rhodesian [[Fireforce]] and the Portuguese [[Dragoons of Angola|heliborne-horseborne forces cooperation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://selousscouts.tripod.com/fireforce_operations.htm|title=Fireforce Operations|publisher=selousscouts.tripod.com}}</ref><ref>ABBOTT, Peter, VOLSTAD, Ronald, "Modern African Wars (2) – Angola and Mozambique 1961–74", Osprey Publishing, 1988</ref><ref>CANN, Jonh P., "Counterinsurgency in Africa: The Portuguese Way of War, 1961–1974", Hailer Publishing, 2005</ref>

=== Bangladesh Liberation War (1971) ===

{{Main|Meghna Heli Bridge}}

Meghna Heli Bridge was an aerial [[Military operation|operation]] of [[Mitro Bahini|Indian and Bangladeshi allied forces]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] in 1971. It took place on 9 December, when the [[Indian Air Force]] airlifted the [[Mukti Bahini]] and the IV Corps of the [[Indian Army]] from [[Brahmanbaria District|Brahmanbaria]] to Raipura in [[Narsingdi District|Narsingdi]] over the River [[Meghna]], bypassing the destroyed Meghna Bridge and Pakistani defences in [[Ashuganj]].

=== Post Cold War ===
[[File:DesertStormMap v2.svg|thumb|right|[[XVIII Airborne Corps (United States)|XVIII Airborne Corps]] air assault during [[Desert Storm]] to secure the Coalition's left flank]]
[[File:101st Airborne Division's Rapid Refuel Point 02.jpg|thumb|right|Desert Storm – 101st Airborne's Rapid Refuel Point (RRP) capable of servicing 20 helicopters simultaneously]]
[[File:US air assault- Iraq.jpg|thumb|right|Preparations for [[Operation Swarmer]] in Iraq, 2006]]
[[File:Soldiers exit a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter 2007-06-05.jpg|thumb|right|Iraq 2007]]
[[File:Air assaulting Lwar Kowndalan.jpg|thumb|right|Air assault mission with Apache gunship escort]]

In the United States Army, the air assault mission is the primary role of the [[101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)]].<ref name = russ8>Russ & Susan Bryant P.8</ref> This unit is a division-sized helicopter-borne fighting force.<ref name = russ8/> 101st Airborne Division soldiers attend the Sabalauski Air Assault School.<ref name = russ63/> Graduates are qualified to insert and extract using fast rope and rappel means from a hover in addition to the ordinary walk on and off from an airlanded helicopter.

In addition, all U.S. Marine Corps divisions are capable of, and routinely train for and perform, air assault operations. Forward-deployed Marine Corps infantry battalions/regiments (reinforced, organized, and designated as Battalion Landing Teams/Regimental Combat Teams, or BLTs and RCTs, respectively), form the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), or Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB). These MEUs and MEBs are capable of embarking aboard amphibious warships and include air assault as one of several means of conducting amphibious landing operations, supported by embarked Marine Corps tilt-rotor, helicopter, and STOVL fixed-wing strike aircraft.<ref>[https://www.usmcofficer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/MCDP-1-0-Marine-Corps-Operations.pdf Marine Corps Operations, MCDP 1] Retrieved 26 November 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.usmcofficer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/MCDP-3-Expedetionary-Operations.pdf Expeditionary Operations MCDP 3  5-12D] Retrieved 26 November 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCRP%205-12D.pdf Organization of the United States Marine Corps MCRP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403233703/http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCRP%205-12D.pdf |date=2018-04-03 }} Retrieved 26 November 2017</ref>

The [[10th Mountain Division]] Light Infantry has a limited capability to perform air assault operations. On September 19, 1994, the 1st Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division conducted the Army's first air assault from an aircraft carrier, the {{USS|Dwight D. Eisenhower|CVN-69|6}}, as part of [[Operation Uphold Democracy]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121201043826/http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/cvn69/Pages/History.aspx USS Dwight D Eisenhower History]</ref> This force consisted of 54 helicopters and almost 2,000 soldiers. This was the Army's largest operation from an aircraft carrier since the [[Doolittle Raid]] of [[World War II]]

The [[16th Air Assault Brigade]] of the [[British Army]] is the UK's main air assault body. It comprises units of paratroopers from the [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] and light infantry units trained in helicopter insertion, as well as light [[FV107 Scimitar|tanks]] and [[artillery]].

Britain's [[3 Commando Brigade]] [[Royal Marines]] are also highly experienced in air assault, both for boarding ships and in land attacks, see article above.

==== Russo-Ukrainian War ====
{{Main|Battle of Antonov Airport}}
The [[Battle of Antonov Airport]] was an operation during the opening days of the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] where the [[Russian Airborne Forces]] (VDV) attempted an air assault in order to capture [[Hostomel Airport]], in order to use the airport to [[airlift]] troops and heavy equipment directly into [[Kyiv]]. The VDV was initially able to capture the airport, but without artillery or armored support they were not able to handle a counter-attack started by local Ukrainian forces.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Эксперт объяснил значение киевского аэродрома Гостомель для спецоперации |url=https://www.mk.ru/politics/2022/02/25/ekspert-obyasnil-znachenie-kievskogo-aerodroma-gostomel-dlya-specoperacii.html |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=www.mk.ru |date=25 February 2022 |language=ru}}</ref> The airport was captured only on the second day by a second air assault combined with an armored push from ground troops.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Doucet |first1=Lyse |author1-link=Lyse Doucet |date=25 February 2022 |title=Ukraine conflict: Kyiv braces for Russian assault |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60513116 |url-status=live |access-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225161642/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60513116 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |quote=On Friday afternoon, Russia's defence ministry announced it had captured the Antonov airport, using 200 helicopters and a landing force in order to take the base to the north of Kyiv from Ukraine. Western intelligence officials warned earlier that Russia was building an "overwhelming force" to take control of the city. |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A simultaneous air assault was attempted at [[Vasylkiv]], where VDV paratroopers attempted to seize the [[Vasylkiv Air Base]] but the attack was repelled.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roblin |first=Sebastien |date=2022-02-27 |title=At Vasylkiv, Ukrainians Repel Russia's Paratroopers and Commandos in Frantic Night Battle |url=https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/02/at-vasylkiv-ukrainians-repel-russias-paratroopers-and-commandos-in-frantic-night-battle/ |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=19FortyFive |language=en-US}}</ref>

== List of air assault forces/units ==
;{{ARG}}
* [[601 Air Assault Regiment|601 Assault Helicopter Battalion]]
;{{flagcountry|Brazil}}
* [[12th Light Infantry Brigade (Airmobile)]]
;{{COL}}
* División de aviación asalto aéreo (DAVAA)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.webinfomil.com/2014/11/aviacion-del-ejercito-y-fuerza-aerea.html|title=Aviación del Ejército y Fuerza Aérea Colombiana realizan entrenamiento conjunto|date=29 November 2014 }}</ref>
** Brigada de aviación 25
** Brigada no. 32 de aviación ejercito
** Brigada contra el narcotrafico
** Brigada de fuerzas especiales
** Batallon de operaciones especiales de aviación

;{{Flag|France}}
* [[4th Airmobile Brigade]]
* [[11th Parachute Brigade]]

;{{GER}}/ {{NLD}}
* {{GER}} [[Rapid Forces Division]]
** {{GER}} Air Assault Brigade 1
**{{NLD}} [[11 Luchtmobiele Brigade]] [Combined with the helicopters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, they form the 11 Air Manoeuvre Brigade (11 AMB)]
;{{GRE}}
* [[71st Airmobile Brigade (Greece)|71st Airmobile Infantry Brigade]]
* [[5th Airmobile Brigade (Greece)|5th Airmobile Infantry Brigade]]
;{{IRI}}
*[[Nedsa]] marines
*[[Sepah Quds]] 
;{{ITA}}
* [[Friuli Air Assault Brigade]]
* [[Folgore Parachute Brigade]]
;{{IDN}}
* [[Indonesian Army Infantry Battalions#Raider infantry battalions|Raider Infantry Battalions]]
* [[Paskhas]] 
;{{JPN}}
*[[12th Brigade (Japan)|12th
Brigade (Air Assault)]]
;{{Flag|Kazakhstan}}
* [[Kazakh Air Assault Forces]]
;{{LBN}} 
*[[Lebanese Special Operations Command|Lebanese Air Assault Regiment (Lebanon)]]
{{flagcountry|Malaysia}}
*[[10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia)]]
;{{PAK}}
* [[Light Commando Battalions (LCBs)]]
 
;{{POL}}
* [[25th Air Cavalry Brigade]]
;{{POR}}
* [[Portuguese Rapid Reaction Brigade|Rapid Reaction Brigade]]
;{{ROU}}
* 495th Paratrooper Battalion "Căpitan Ștefan Soverth"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armed.mapn.ro/desantare-de-parasutisti-din-elicoptere-in-babadag.-transport-de-tehnica-si-luptatori-cu-elicoptere-3260-27|title=Desantare de parașutiști din elicoptere în Babadag. Transport de tehnică și luptători cu elicoptere|language=ro|work=armed.mapn.ro|date=14 June 2021}}</ref>
;{{flagcountry|Russia}}
*[[7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division]]
*[[76th Guards Air Assault Division]]
*[[104th Guards Air Assault Division]]
*[[11th Guards Air Assault Brigade]]
*[[49th Air Assault Brigade]]
*[[83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade]]
;{{RSA}}
* [[44 Parachute Regiment]] (1999 to present)
* [[6 South African Infantry Battalion]]
;{{PRC}}
*One brigade under each combined corps
;{{ROC-TW}}
* [[:zh:中華民國陸軍航空特戰指揮部|ROC Army Aviation and Special Forces Command (陸軍航空特戰指揮部)]]
** [[:zh:中華民國陸軍特種作戰指揮部|Special Operations Command (''特戰指揮部'' )]]
*** 1st Special Operations Battalion "Might" (''特戰第一營 "威"'')
*** 2nd Special Operations Battalion "Dare" (''特戰第二營 "敢"'')
*** 3rd Special Operations Battalion "Firm" (''特戰第三營 "剛"'')
*** 4th Special Operations Battalion "Fierce" (''特戰第四營 "猛"'')
*** 5th Special Operations Battalion "Strong" (''特戰第五營 "強"'')
** 601st Aviation Brigade (航空六〇一旅)
** 602nd Aviation Brigade (航空六〇二旅)
** Aviation Training Command (飛行訓練指揮部) - 603rd Aviation Brigade (航空六〇三旅)
;{{SGP}}
* [[Guards (Singapore Army)|Guards]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Guards |url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/army/our-forces/formations/formations-detail/guards/guards |website=Ministry of Defence (Singapore) |access-date=5 October 2022 |date=6 July 2018}}</ref>
;{{ESP}}
* [[Spanish Army#2nd Land Force Command – Light Forces|7th Light (Air-transportable) Infantry Brigade]]
;{{SRI}}
* [[Air Mobile Brigade (Sri Lanka)|Air Mobile Brigade]]{{dubious|date=June 2012}}
*[[Sri Lanka Commando Regiment]]
;{{SWE}}
* [[31st Ranger Battalion|31st Airborne Battalion]]
;{{SYR}}
* [[14th Special Forces Division]]
* [[15th Special Forces Division]]
;{{THA}}
* [[Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Command|1st Special Forces Division]] (1st SFD)
* Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols Company (LRRP)
* [[Naval Special Warfare Command (Thailand)|Royal Thai Navy SEALs]]
* [[RTMC Reconnaissance Battalion|RECON]]
* [[Special Operations Regiment (Thailand)|Special Operations Regiment]] (SOR)
;{{UKR}}
* [[Ukrainian Air Assault Forces]]
* [[95th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)|95th Airmobile Brigade]]
* [[79th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)|79th Airmobile Brigade]]
* [[80th Airmobile Regiment (Ukraine)|80th Airmobile Regiment]]
* [[28th Training Battalion (Ukraine)|28th Training Battalion]]
;{{UK}}
* [[16 Air Assault Brigade]]
* [[3 Commando Brigade]]
;{{US}}
* [[101st Airborne Division]]
** 1st Brigade Combat Team
** 2nd Brigade Combat Team
** 3rd Brigade Combat Team
;{{ROK}}
* [[2nd Quick Response Division (South Korea)]]

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Airborne forces]]
* ''[[Battleplan]]'' (documentary TV series)
* [[Battle of Signal Hill Vietnam|Battle of Signal Hill]]
* [[Operation Delaware]]
* [[Paratroopers]]
* [[United States Army Air Assault School]]
* [[Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) (United States)]]
{{Div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
* Arthur, Max, ''There Shall Be Wings'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1994, {{ISBN|0-340-60386-0}}
* Scales, Robert H. & Scales Jr., Robert H., ''Certain Victory: The U.S. Army in the Gulf War'', Brassey's, 1994
*{{cite book|last=Ailsby|first=Christopher|year=2000|title= Hitler's Sky Warriors: German Paratroopers in Action, 1939–1945|publisher=Spellmount Limited| location=Staplehurst, UK|isbn=1-86227-109-7}}
* Screaming Eagles 101st Airborne Division by Russ & Susan Bryant

== Further reading ==
* Burns, Richard R.  ''Pathfinder: First In, Last Out''.  New York: Ballantine Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0804116024}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110708122801/http://caseyfuller.com/Task_Force_Hawk.htm A 1989 Department of Defense news archive about Task Force Hawk air assault training, Panama.]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26971|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-20A (1966)}}
* [http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/Airmobility/airmobility-fm.html Vietnam Studies: Airmobility 1961–1971 by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, 1989] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612073527/http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/Airmobility/airmobility-fm.html |date=2010-06-12 }}

[[Category:Aerial warfare strategy]]
[[Category:Airborne warfare]]
[[Category:Infantry]]
[[Category:Aerial warfare tactics]]