426:), ARA was unique because it was controlled by division artillery and not the aviation group (or an aviation brigade to use 2012 U.S. Army terminology). This allowed the artillery commander (usually a colonel) to coordinate ARA activities with other fire support missions (howitzers, air strikes, and so on). ARA was not the only location for attack helicopters within the Vietnam-era airmobile division (both the cavalry squadrons and standard lift battalions had attack aviation as part of their organization; with 12 gunships in Company D of each lift battalion and attack helicopters in each air cavalry troop), but it was the most concentrated and centralized element of attack aviation.
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Artillery (later designated the 3rd
Battalion, 377th Artillery). When the 11th Air Assault was redesignated as the 1st Cavalry Division and sent to Vietnam, the 3/377th became the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (using the radio call sign "Blue Max"). This was the first unit designated and organized as ARA to take part in combat operations. The 4/77th Artillery joined the 101st Airborne Division in 1969 when the 101st was converted to an airmobile division, becoming the second active ARA battalion. Battery F, 79th Artillery, was formed to serve with the separate 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division when the rest of the division was
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cavalry missions simultaneously), and later reorganized as an armored division. The 101st
Airborne Division retained an airmobile (later air assault) role, but during the various reorganizations of the 1970s its AFA/ARA battalion disappeared. With attack aviation folded into the various aviation groups and brigades, ARA ceased to be a core artillery mission.
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In 1970 the designation ARA was changed to AFA (Aerial Field
Artillery). As the Army began reorganizing for new missions, many Vietnam-era units and missions changed shape. The 1st Cavalry Division became a test division for the TRICAP concept (a division that could perform armor, airmobile, and air
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Perhaps the greatest lasting accomplishment of ARA was to fully validate the concept of armed helicopters. Evolving from test units, ARA gunships (along with those assigned to lift companies and air cavalry troops) provided a source of supporting fire in
Vietnam known for its "flexibility, accuracy,
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Like all aircraft, ARA units had difficulty conducting missions during bad weather or at night (although this was less of a consideration for the more advanced AH-1G). Tube artillery could fire in any conditions (bad weather, day, or night), and the 1st
Cavalry Division ended up having a 155 mm
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then assigned to Army divisions as medium support artillery were not transportable by helicopters, the concept of aerial rocket artillery (ARA) was developed as a substitute. The original test unit for rocket-armed helicopters within the 11th Air
Assault Division was the 2nd Battalion, 42nd
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An ARA battery could perform any type of fire support mission conducted by conventional artillery, but with a much greater range (limited only by a helicopter's combat radius) than tube artillery. These missions included support of ground troops,
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Each ARA battalion consisted of one H&HB (Headquarters & Headquarters
Battery) and three firing batteries (Alpha, Bravo and Charlie). A firing battery was equipped with 12 attack helicopters. Initially the units were supplied with Bell
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as they became available. According to one historian's authoritative account of the First
Cavalry Division's actions in Vietnam, the conversion to Cobras gave the 2/20th ARA "the firepower equivalent to three conventional artillery batteries."
496:) attached to the division in Vietnam to provide medium artillery support in situations when ARA might not be able to fly. The 1st Cavalry Division locally designed and produced slings, allowing the 155 mm guns to be moved by their heavy
539:
and immediate response" to any combat situation within range. The AH-1G Cobra was a direct result of the successes of the early armed UH-1Bs and UH-1Cs and remained in service well after the last ARA battery was decommissioned.
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and re-supply helicopters. They also were teamed with light observation helicopters to perform tactical reconnaissance, although this mission was more commonly performed by the airmobile division's air cavalry squadron.
450:. While the B and C model UH-1s could carry up to 48 of these rockets in two racks of 24 each (XM-3 subsystem), the faster, more powerful Cobras could carry 76. In addition to the rockets, the UH-1s carried two
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535:, on April 13, 1972, an AH-1G from Battery F, 79th Artillery became the first helicopter in history to engage and destroy an enemy tank, reinforcing the helicopter's place on the modern battlefield.
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369:, 1st Cavalry Division, were the only ARA units fielded during that conflict. The ARA concept disappeared from Army aviation by the mid-1970s, replaced by more generic attack aviation units.
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845:. Collection of over 140 articles on the El Toros (4/77 Arty) at Camp Eagle. Includes images, some fiction and some non related editorials. But 90% of the content is on El Toros
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ARA participated in both the first and last major battles in
Vietnam for US ground troops. UH-1B gunships from the 2/20th provided critical fire support during the
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mounted in the cargo doors as defensive weapons operated by the aircraft's crew chief and a door gunner, while the Cobras were armed with a 7.62mm
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was activated to test a number of the Board's concepts and recommendations about air mobility. Because the 155mm
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500:"Flying Crane" helicopters. When the 101st Airborne Division converted to an airmobile unit, the 2nd Battalion,
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385:, which strongly recommended the adaptation of helicopters in a variety of roles and missions. In 1963, the
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for demonstrating the validity of the ARA concept in combat. The 2/20th would also later be awarded the
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in 1967. In 1971 the 4/77th provided fire support for ARVN units involved in the invasion of Laos (
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fire. In addition to normal artillery missions, the helicopters were also employed as escorts for
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While there are current U.S. Army aviation units with an attack mission (such as the
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349:. Controlled by division artillery and not the aviation group, the 2nd Battalion,
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Helicopter units involved in Lam Son 719 (© Vietnam
Helicopter Pilots Association)
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After the helicopter demonstrated its early battlefield capabilities in the
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An AH-1G assigned to 3/4 Cavalry. It is in gunship, not ARA, configuration.
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Military units and formations of the United States Army in the Vietnam War
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model helicopters, but these were replaced with the newer
795:. Washington D.C.: Department of the Army. Archived from
755:. Washington D.C.: Department of the Army. Archived from
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Hell on a Hilltop: America's Last Major Battle in Vietnam
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An early UH-1B in an ARA configuration without door guns.
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Artillery units and formations of the United States Army
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in a nose turret. Some UH-1s were also armed with the
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A request that this article title be changed to
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Military units and formations disestablished in 1972
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Tactical and Materiel Innovations (Vietnam Studies)
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869:Military units and formations established in 1965
722:Vietnam Choppers: Helicopters in Battle 1950-1975
713:Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam
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752:Field Artillery, 1954-1973 (Vietnam Studies)
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446:The primary weapon of the ARA units was the
47:this article until the discussion is closed.
744:. Washington D.C.: Department of the Army.
838:Vietnam Helicopter Insignia and Artifacts
782:Anatomy of a Division: 1st Cav in Vietnam
479:(LZ) preparatory fire, interdiction, and
164:77th Artillery distinctive unit insignia
68:20th Artillery distinctive unit insignia
792:Airmobility 1961-1971 (Vietnam Studies)
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833:Organization of the Airmobile Division
504:(155 mm) was similarly attached.
448:2.75" Folding Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR)
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383:Tactical Mobility Requirements Board
818:Aerial Rocket Artillery Association
749:Ott, Maj. Gen. David Ewing (1975).
738:Hay, Lt. Gen. John H. Jr. (1989).
516:in late 1965. The unit received a
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789:Tolson, Lt. Gen. John J. (1989).
492:howitzer battery (1st Battalion,
301:3d Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
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733:. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, Inc.
729:Harrison, Benjamin L. (2004).
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724:. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.
309:"Our Country – Our Regiment"
780:Stanton, Shelby L. (1987).
771:Stanton, Shelby L. (1981).
460:40 mm grenade launcher
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518:Presidential Unit Citation
402:Organization and equipment
333:unit that was part of the
583:. Presidio, 1987. p. 203.
387:11th Air Assault Division
293:General Support Artillery
252:Distinctive unit insignia
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241:Battery F, 79th Artillery
213:General support artillery
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117:General support artillery
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365:, along with Battery F,
189:United States of America
784:. Novato, CA: Presidio.
773:Vietnam Order of Battle
720:Dunstan, Simon (2003).
424:combat aviation brigade
363:101st Airborne Division
357:and the 4th Battalion,
319:Aerial Rocket Artillery
221:101st Airborne Division
34:Aerial rocket artillery
843:El Toros at Camp Eagle
419:
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396:withdrawn from Vietnam
153:4th Bn, 77th Artillery
57:2nd Bn, 20th Artillery
823:The Defense of An Loc
698:Stanton, p. 246, 251.
680:Coleman, pp. 288-290.
628:Stanton 1981, p. 293.
610:Stanton, pp. 200-201.
601:Stanton, pp. 202-203.
581:Anatomy of a Division
526:Operation Lam Son 719
466:wire guided missile.
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345:divisions during the
715:. St Martin's Press.
711:Coleman, JD (1989).
637:Stanton 1981, p. 84.
592:Stanton, p. 28; 258.
508:Notable achievements
355:1st Cavalry Division
125:1st Cavalry Division
543:Further development
522:Valorous Unit Award
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339:United States Army
579:Stanton, Shelby.
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141:"Duty not Reward"
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327:aerial artillery
285:Aerial Artillery
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298:Part of
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657:"Cptoc.htm"
347:Vietnam War
130:Nickname(s)
45:do not move
853:Categories
803:2010-06-30
763:2010-06-30
705:References
689:Ott, p.51.
667:2006-08-16
379:Korean War
229:"En Garde"
186:Allegiance
90:Allegiance
391:howitzers
343:airmobile
335:artillery
173:1969–1972
77:1965–1972
43:. Please
470:Missions
306:Motto(s)
226:Motto(s)
138:Motto(s)
133:Blue Max
485:medevac
456:minigun
373:History
341:'s two
266:Country
178:Country
82:Country
533:An Loc
458:and a
274:Branch
258:Active
194:Branch
170:Active
98:Branch
74:Active
552:Notes
498:CH-54
436:UH-1C
432:UH-1B
434:and
290:Role
282:Type
277:Army
261:1972
210:Role
202:Type
197:Army
114:Role
106:Type
101:Army
528:).
323:ARA
93:USA
38:is
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