AW101/EH101

[rickshaw]

yes if you are carrying a lot of people do you want an complete platoon in 1 aircraft? you loose that aircraft you loose the platoon! its tactically difficult but makes more sense to split a platoon between aircraft.

Depends upon how "hot" the LZ is expected to be.   From the tactical control viewpoint, landing your subunits already formed up is preferable to having to sort them out after landing.  One only has to remember the problems of scattered men/sub-units that Paratroopers experienced in WWII to appreciate why gliders were preferred (and why the Horsa was preferred over the other types).   If you were to go with smaller helicopters, then the minimum load would be ~10 men.  However, that as I've already noted, tends to be expensive in manpower (flying the helicopters) and equipment.   Obviously a compromise is necessary.

[Weaver]

Probably because almost no helicopter has ever been designed purely around the section/platoon transport mission. They are usually envisaged as performing a whole variety of roles, each of which will impose it's own requirements. Casevac, for example, requires x amount of equipment and the ability to load, service and unload stretchers, which are a totally different shape and have different handling conditions to people or most cargo. If the helo has a tail ramp to carry light vehicles, then the width is set by the track of the intended vehicle plus enough for a loadmaster to get around the side of it, etc, etc....

Yes, but then you end up with something like the V-22, which carries neither a tactical load of personnel nor a vehicle load very well...

Exactly - it's a compromise!  

The only real solution is to make it so big that it can do anything, but then you have to compromise on cost too.....

[McColm]

A Merlin in USNavy/USMarines colours would go down a treat.

[DarrenP]

as a Sea Knight replacement yes.


An infantry platoon in airmobile role is quite vulnerable it is very lightly equipped. Fine in some types of op however you would want to mix in some support weapons detachments so a company moving forward may have a section of Mortars, a section of heavy machine guns, a section of ATGW and possibly other services from outside the Bn like SHORAD, FAC's etc so its not a simple as putting a platoon in a helecopter and sending it forward. In current ops you need search teams, ATO and other assets.

[McColm]

Thanks for that.