Army helicopters fly from Navy ships, test joint ops

Soldiers don’t generally spend much time aboard Navy ships. But this summer, some Army aviators got to spend days and weeks at a time living and working with sailors in the Persian Gulf.

The Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Combat Aviation Brigade has been testing Army helicopters’ capabilities in a littoral combat environment, taking off from Navy ships, firing on targets and practicing deck landings, to see what Army aviation might be able to contribute to the future of maritime surface warfare.

From March through August, the soldiers spent time aboard the amphibious transport docks Ponce and Green Bay, dock landing ship Rushmore and aircraft carrier John C. Stennis.

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