text: Army Aviation’s Role in Unified Land Operations
  lodgment can also serve as an economy of force by reducing the aviation land footprint, sustainment and
  force protection requirements. In support of joint or multinational naval forces, using Army Aviation to
  conduct reconnaissance and attack operations over water enables the joint or multinational force
  commander to defeat small boat and small surface combatant threats, counter piracy and drug threats,
  protect individual ships or sea convoys, or attack area denial capabilities in the littorals. This enables the
  joint or multinational force commander to maintain open sea LOCs, protect maritime infrastructure (oil
  rigs, offshore terminals, and harbors) and shipping, or deny enemy freedom of action in maritime choke
  points (straits, sea lanes, and littorals).
  1-72. Limitations. Rapidly changing weather conditions, sea state, low visibility, low contrast, and
  extended observation ranges over water present challenges to Army Aviation in the maritime environment.
  In some maritime areas, high temperatures may cause commanders to make load decisions between fuel,
  cargo, passengers, and munitions. Extended operations in a salt water environment results in increased
  corrosion of critical parts and will cause increased maintenance requirements. En route, during low light
  and low contrast conditions, height above the water is more difficult to judge and may require higher flight
  altitudes to reduce the likelihood of controlled flight into the water. Additionally, the size and number of
  the seabasing platforms directly impacts the overall size of the aviation force and the number of aircraft that
  can operate simultaneously. This can impact the combined arms team’s ability to mass and maintain
  adequate aviation tempo in support of operations over land. If area denial measures are robust, stand-off of
  seabasing capabilities will require longer routes, reducing station time in the objective unless additional
  FARPs are employed on land in the AO. Sea basing also does not currently enable Army Aviation to
  employ organic UAS due to launch and recovery limitations. Operating from ships and other maritime
  platforms requires specialized deck landing and helicopter egress qualification and proficiency training as
  well as overwater flight proficiency, especially during night operations. The storage of munitions on ships
  also requires specialized munitions, procedures, training, and safety.
  Urban Operations
  1-73. Capabilities. Urban areas are primarily the epicenters of human activity and generate much of the
  friction in future conflict. Urban operations range from operations in and around small built-up areas,
  towns, and small cities, to dense urban terrain. Army Aviation can effectively overcome many of the
  limitations imposed on traditional ground mounted and dismounted maneuver in this complex environment.
  Army Aviation’s inherent speed, mobility, precision fires, and persistent reconnaissance capabilities
  provide the combined arms team with a number of options to reduce the complexity of operations in an
  urban environment. The use of Army Aviation to air assault small ground maneuver elements to secure
  infrastructure, isolate urban areas, seize limited objectives, kill or capture high value targets, seize key
  terrain, or to conduct cordon and search operations reduces the enemy’s freedom of action while
  economizing force and reducing risk to ground movements. The use of persistent reconnaissance and
  precision fires by attack and reconnaissance RW aircraft and UAS along key LOCs, named areas of
  interest, key infrastructure, or in support of small unit mounted and dismounted ground maneuver increases
  the combined arms team freedom of action, protects the force, and reduces the enemy’s ability to attain
  tactical overmatch at the point of contact. Use of air ambulances equipped with rescue hoists to extract
  casualties from secured, compartmented, and congested areas enables the rapid evacuation of casualties,
  increasing the ground maneuver force tactical reach while reducing the requirement to secure ground
  movement. Using extended-range and non-LOS communications, Army Aviation can provide enhanced C2
  capabilities to the combined arms team through the use of UAS communications relay packages or airborne
  C2 aircraft to overcome the limitations of ground maneuver LOS communications in urban terrain.
  1-74. Limitations. Each urban area is unique, and the challenges to successful aviation operations increase
  based on the scale, makeup, and complexity of the urban area. The availability of LZs/PZs are frequently
  limited to sports fields, major roads, highway medians, rooftops, transition areas (unimproved open areas),
  vacant lots, and urban green spaces. These areas are routinely cluttered with debris or other loose
  impediments that can become airborne hazards during landings and takeoffs. The lack of LZ/PZs also
  enables easier enemy pattern analysis of aviation operations to emplace ambushes or use IEDs. Significant
  vertical obstacles (such as light poles, power lines, and antennas), coupled with the height of adjacent
  buildings, may limit approach and departure paths for aircraft, restrict freedom of maneuver in the objective