Throwback Thursday

What a 1956 Article Reveals About Our Current Aviation Transformation

The U.S. Army is undergoing a rapid, necessary transformation under the Army Transformation Initiative, and perhaps no branch feels this change more acutely than Army Aviation. Our branch is navigating tectonic shifts in manning, training, capabilities, and resources, evident in the recent 6,500 aviator force reduction, the ongoing divestment of Air Cavalry Squadrons, AH-64Ds, and legacy UAS, and the development of Flight School Next.

While the future MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) garners headlines, the most significant evolution, and arguably most urgent, is the rapid adoption of new Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Launched Effects (LE) technology. These systems are the core of our Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) strategy and a decisive advantage in Large-Scale Combat and Multi-Domain Operations. Yet, this necessary acceleration has triggered a familiar, decades-old debate: are we moving too fast, risking waste, or are we still moving too slowly to deliver decisive capabilities?

Larry Hewin addresses this same dilemma in his article “Helicopter Future” in the April 1956 edition of the Army Aviation Digest (pp. 5-12; pp. 37-38).

The 1956 Dilemma: Idleness is the Enemy of Progress

Hewin’s concerns, written when the helicopter was still in its relative infancy, are prescient. He captured the frustration of his era with uncanny clarity, mirroring the debates we hear today about UAS and LE procurement.

Hewin observed that the Army was hesitant to procure and commit to helicopters due to their inherent imperfections; they were complex, difficult to maintain, costly, and limited in performance. Sound familiar? That same sentiment echoes today when discussing new unmanned platforms: The technology isn’t mature yet, it doesn’t have all the features we want, operators need training first, they are too expensive, the software is buggy. Wait for the perfect, affordable product.

In fact, the systemic nature of this reluctance was recently highlighted in a draft Pentagon memo obtained by Breaking Defense on November 4th, 2025. This memo, which proposes sweeping acquisition reforms, identifies the core institutional barriers that prevent rapid adoption. It states, “Today’s unacceptably slow acquisition fielding times stem from three systemic challenges: fragmented accountability where no single leader can make trades between speed, performance and cost; broken incentives that reward completely satisfying every specification at significant cost to on time delivery; and procurement patterns that disincentivize industry investment, leading to constrained industrial capacity that cannot surge or adapt quickly” (para. 8).

This 2025 assessment pointing to fragmented accountability and broken incentives that prioritize perfect specifications over timely delivery is merely a modernized explanation of the “hesitancy” Hewin identified in 1956.

Hewin argued that this approach was fundamentally flawed. He stressed that the Army must procure this technology despite its current shortcomings because the only way for the helicopter (today’s UAS and LE) to be perfected is through adoption, implementation, and rigorous development in the field. He urged his readers to understand that waiting for perfection means surrendering the advantage to the next conflict.

Hewin’s insight offers a lesson for our current transformation: the challenges we face integrating new capabilities, platforms, or programs are not new. They are the growing pains of revolutionary technology. Our task is not to halt progress, but to embrace Hewin’s urgency and ensure our fielding strategy is coordinated, centralized, and constantly refined by the Soldiers who use it.

The Power of Professional Discourse

Hewin was not just farsighted, he was a talented communicator. His 10-page article wove together complex challenges related to aircraft performance, maintenance, and logistics with a narrative that kept the reader engaged. He stayed focused, delivered constructive criticism professionally, and explained his arguments in a concise fashion.

This is the professional discourse that the Army requires. Hewin was not writing a feel-good story, he was delivering a critical assessment and recommending solutions to inspire action. He understood that the branch’s professional bulletin is the ideal place to foment support and necessary change, regardless of the complexity of the topic.

Photo courtesy of the authors.

The Army Aviation Digest: Our Branch Town Square

Hewin’s voice, and the voices of countless other aviators and mechanics, found a home in Army Aviation Digest, the official professional bulletin of the Army Aviation Branch. The Bulletin started in 1955 at Camp Rucker (now Fort Rucker, Alabama), and its very first article, “Aerial Equilibrium” by Colonel William Byrne, U.S. Army Medical Corps, discussed spatial disorientation and illusions, an issue that still plagues pilots today and is continually updated in our doctrine and training manuals.

The Aviation Digest has published almost continuously since 1955 (with a significant gap between 1995 and 2013), serving as the institutional memory and the collective thought leadership repository for Army Aviation. It publishes articles across the entire DOTMLPF-P spectrum, meaning it covers everything from doctrine and organization to training, material, and personnel.

Pick Up the Pen

The Aviation Digest is our branch’s town square, and it is a resource that needs to be filled not just with routine training highlights, but with substantive discourse on any topic affecting the profession.

I encourage all readers, whether you are a junior enlisted or a senior officer, to pick up the pen and contribute to the professional discourse in your branch. Your ideas, lessons, and frustrations are the currency of change. Articles and ideas submitted to the Aviation Digest are not evaluated based on the rank of the author, but on the relevance and merit of the ideas presented.

Hewin’s article is a good reminder that agreeing on a solution is not the same as making progress toward one. The debate he spurred in 1956 showed that professional writing can inspire action and drive institutional progress. We should continue to cultivate the same debate and discourse today by sharing ideas across the branch. Submitting to your professional journal is a simple, powerful act of stewardship.

CPT Phillip Fluke is an Aviation Officer assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.

2LT Kate Taylor is an Aviation Officer assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.