"The first helicopter used for military purposes was the YR-4B. It was designed by Igor Sikorsky, a Russian-born citizen that emigrated to the United States in 1919 and designed the craft as an American citizen. It made its first combat flight in April of 1944, when it aided in the rescue of four men in Burma. Since this time, helicopters have been used worldwide for military purposes."
"Most of the helicopters that make up this list have been in service for decades. Perhaps, the key example of this is the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. This helicopter has been involved in a number of high-profile military operations over the years, including one with a blockbuster movie named after it, Black Hawk Down. It is even said that a stealth version of the Black Hawk was used in the operation that took out Osama bin Laden."
The U.S. military operates 5,463 helicopters, the largest national rotary-wing fleet worldwide. The first military helicopter was the YR-4B, designed by Igor Sikorsky, which flew its first combat mission in April 1944 rescuing four men in Burma. Fleet counts referenced FlightGlobal's 2024 World Air Forces report, included all active-service variants, excluded Coast Guard aircraft, and used supplemental type and order data from FlightGlobal. Many helicopters have decades-long service histories, notably the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, whose tandem-rotor design began in 1957 and entered U.S. service in 1963 as a heavy-lift, fast helicopter. A September 12, 2025 update clarified classifications and fleet numbers.
Read at 24/7 Wall St.
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]