Chapter 10: Aviation
The ability of the OPFOR to employ its aviation assets will depend on the level of airspace dominance the OPFOR possesses. When fighting a weaker opponent, the OPFOR expects to establish and maintain air superiority and thus to employ its aviation with relative ease. When faced with a superior enemy, however, the OPFOR will alter aviation missions to ensure the most effective use of its air power without the unnecessary loss of assets. In either situation, the OPFOR makes maximum use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at all levels. This chapter addresses the OPFOR aviation tactics of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and UAVs. For information on the impact of strategic concepts on aviation operations and airspace dominance, see FM 7-100.1.
Command and Control
Aviation forces are allocated to specified levels of command to meet mission requirements. Organizational structures are designed to maintain the appropriate level of centralized control to ensure the limited number of assets are available at the right place and time. For more information on the organization of aviation units at the operational-level or above, see FM 7-100.1. However, even aviation units that are part of organizations above the tactical level can perform missions that have tactical-level impact and must, therefore, be addressed in a tactical context.
Decentralized Versus Centralized Control
The OPFOR will task-organize aviation assets to tailor the force for the specific mission. Thus, it is possible to task-organize a fixed-wing aviation unit from the Air Force to an operational-strategic command (OSC), which is the lowest level of joint command. However, army aviation rotary-wing assets can be found allocated not only to an OSC but also to a division tactical group (DTG) or a brigade tactical group (BTG). The OPFOR is more likely to task-organize its aviation to the lowest levels against a weaker opponent, when it has established air superiority. This decentralized control allows greater flexibility and responsiveness from OPFOR aviation assets in support of ground commanders.
Note. A tactical group is a task-organized unit organized around the baseline, administrative structure of a division or brigade. Throughout this chapter, the terms DTG or BTG will be used to identify that level of command, since a maneuver division or brigade does not include constituent or dedicated aviation assets unless it has been task-organized as a tactical group. The terms division or brigade will be used only to highlight differences (when they occur) from a tactical group.
Against a superior force, however, the OPFOR is apt to maintain control of its helicopters and airplanes at OSC and theater level, respectively. This centralized control allows the OPFOR to better protect its assets, more thoroughly plan missions, and improve reaction time during the limited windows of opportunity.