United States Armed Forces

====Army Aviation====
{{main|United States Army Aviation Branch}}
[[File:Cav troopers conduct maneuver operations 140713-A-HD608-014.jpg|thumb|Formation of [[UH-60 Blackhawk]]s with the [[1st Cavalry Division (United States)|1st Cavalry Division]]]]

Army Aviation, distinct from the U.S. Air Force and its predecessors, began as part of the field artillery in 1942. Small spotter planes were used to spot for artillery and naval bombardment, as well as to perform observation. These few aircraft formed the core of Army Aviation once the U.S. Air Force gained independence. In 1983, the Army created the Aviation Branch, for the first time since the Air Force's independence consolidating aviation under a single organization.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.armyaviationmuseum.org/discover/ | title=Discover | date=27 October 2016 }}</ref>

The mission of Army Aviation is to find, fix and destroy any enemy through fire and maneuver and to provide combat support and combat service support in coordinated operations as an integral member of the combined arms team.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.army.mil/aviation/modern/ | title=Modern Aviation - United States Army Aviation }}</ref> Major aircraft include the [[AH-64 Apache]], which serves as the Army's attack helicopter, the [[UH-60 Black Hawk]], and the [[CH-47 Chinook]] for troop and cargo transport. Army Aviation also flies the [[MQ-1C Gray Eagle]] drone.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://asc.army.mil/web/portfolio-item/aviation_gray-eagle-uas/ | title=MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) - USAASC }}</ref>

A specialized unit within Army Aviation, the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)]] serves as a special operations unit and operates modified variants of the MH-60 Black Hawk, MH-47 Chinook, and the [[MH-6 Little Bird]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.soc.mil/USASOAC/160th.html | title=160th SOAR (A) Page }}</ref>