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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The Army must prepare its soldiers, leaders, and units to deploy, fight, and win in combat at any intensity level, anywhere, anytime. Therefore, our training is top priority, and the focus of training is on our wartime mission. An important part of the wartime mission for units equipped with armed helicopters is helicopter gunnery. Every training program, including helicopter gunnery, must be carefully planned, aggressively executed, and thoroughly assessed.

1-1. TRAINING STRATEGY

The helicopter gunnery program begins with individual qualification on aircraft weapon systems and progresses through crew qualification to unit collective training. The unit training strategy must build on the skills learned by individual crew members during the aircraft qualification course. It must include and balance individual, gunnery, tactical, and maintenance training for both aviators and support personnel. The unit gunnery program must be progressive and continuous. It must emphasize training that allows integration of new personnel while maintaining qualified crews. This manual provides commanders with the information and guidance needed to develop and incorporate gunnery training into the Aircrew Training Program while meeting the standards in DA Pamphlet 350-38, Chapter 7. This program is focused on building warfighting units that can engage and destroy the enemy.

1-2. GUNNERY STANDARDS

The goal of Army training is a combat ready force that can deploy on short notice, fight, and win. To achieve this goal, commanders must have a common set of weapons and weapon systems qualification standards. They also must have an objective way to judge those standards. Army Aviation's gunnery program standards are discussed below.

1-3. GUNNERY TABLES

The gunnery tables in this manual provide the framework for the unit to execute its gunnery program. They are designed to train and evaluate the crew's ability to engage targets with the helicopter's weapon systems at short, medium, and long ranges. These gunnery tables are progressive; they must be fired in order. Except for Tables III and IV, these tables cannot be accomplished in a compatible simulator. Commanders may modify the engagement sequences, conditions, and target arrays within the tables to meet mission training requirements or to fit resource constraints such as range layout. However, modified tables must be no less demanding than those in this manual. Because modifications to tables are temporary, commanders must work with installation or regional range authorities to upgrade and improve helicopter gunnery ranges so the unit can fire the tables as stated in this manual.

1-4. READINESS REPORTING

1-5. MASTER GUNNER PROGRAM

1-6. WEAPONS TRAINING STANDARDS