page_title: Army aviation
section_title: Tasks
hierarchical_section_title: Army aviation / Tasks
caption_attribution_description: English: Kurdish refugee children run toward a CH-53G helicopter of the German Army during Operation Provide Comfort, an Allied effort to aid Kurdish refugees who fled the forces of Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq.
context_page_description: An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing aircraft. Prior to the establishment of separate national air forces, many armies had military aviation units, which as the importance of aviation increased, were spun off into independent services. As the separation between a nation's army and air force led to a divergence of priorities, many armies sought to re-establish their own aviation branches to best serve their own organic tactical needs.
context_section_description: The tasks of each army's aviation units are defined slightly different, depending on country. Some general characteristics include:
  Tactical offensive action (anti-tank warfare, air assault, and close air support)
  ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target acquisition, Reconnaissance)
  Logistic and battlefield support
  Tactical transport both internally and externally, of personnel and material
  Search and rescue
  Medical evacuation
  Liaison
  Disaster relief
caption: A CH-53G helicopter of the German Army Aviation Corps during Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq
exif: {}