Army Times published an article detailing the Army’s plan to minimize budget cuts on ots helicopter fleet.  It’s a pretty good breakdown without all the sensationalism the media wants to stoke fires rather than inform.

ALL the OH-58 Kiowas Active Component (AC) & Reserve Component (RC-includes the Army National Guard and Army Reserve) are going away.   Great helicopter but it’s maxed out armament wise and underpowered.  It had real problems in the mountains of Afghanistan.   Taking it completely out of the fleet cuts maintenance costs and simplifies support.  AC scout squadrons will get an Apache on a one for one trade.  Not what the Army wanted but the Comanche was scrapped and funding for a new scout helo is questionable.

Half of the RC’s Lakotas are going to replace the worn out Bell Jet Rangers at Rucker to train new pilots (for both the AC & RC component).

The RC is getting 159 Blackhawks to do its missions which are more helpful in disaster relief.

So to summarize.

-Everyone loses the Kiowa.
-RC Lakotas pick up the training mission for the whole force (and the RC keeps 108 vs the 104 at Rucker).
-The AC will have 1,033 UH60s, the RC will have 1,102 UH60s,
-All 690 Apaches to the AC

The actual loss to the R/C 41 airframes but neither the AC nor RC will shut down units.   A lot of media is presenting this as the Army unfairly cutting the RC component but it isn’t.  It is a drastic course of action though in response to a much smaller budget.