The U.S. Army plans to cut 6,500 aviation jobs from the active duty ranks, starting in the coming months, service officials confirmed Friday.
The move aims to realign the force toward the use of unmanned drones instead of manned aviation platforms and will occur over fiscal years 2026 and 2027, according to Army spokesman Maj. Montrell Russell.
“The Army is transforming aviation to meet future operational demands — faster, leaner, and more capable,” Russell said in a statement to Military Times. “This initiative ensures Army aviation is integrated across components, modernized in capability, and optimized for global mission requirements.”
There are about 30,000 aviation branch soldiers in the ranks, including flight crews, maintainers and pilots, Russell said.
Talent panels will determine which officers and warrant officers will remain in aviation and which will be transferred to other Army branches, beginning in October, according to Russell.
The cuts were first reported by Task & Purpose.
“The Army aims to retain as many qualified personnel as possible, focusing on solutions that help personnel transition into new roles,” Russell said. “The Army Aviation Transformation will better align available resources with desired capabilities and strategically direct them towards winning future conflicts.”
The panels will review junior warrant officers, lieutenants and captains assigned to Apache and Black Hawk units, according to a MILPER message posted Wednesday by Human Resources Command, Task & Purpose reported.
The panels, consisting of a brigadier general, senior warrant officers and a former brigade commander, will determine whether to retain or reclassify troops based on officer evaluations, according to the MILPER. They will also rely on input from aviation leaders, in addition to assessing warrant officers’ tactical aptitude by their progress toward achieving “pilot in command” status, as outlined in the MILPER.
The service will also consider holding such panels for enlisted aviation troops, Russell said.
“While Army aviation remains an essential member of the combined arms team, the use of airspace for maneuver that was once unique to our aviation formations is now becoming accessible to Soldiers in multiple formations via drone technology, reducing training requirements for conducting such operations,” Russell said. “The Army is rapidly transforming to meet the changing character of war and leverage these technological advancements, which are inducing changes in both ground and air formations to optimize our collective force structure.”
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.