"The U.S. Army Had Plans for Helo-Riding, ..." Topic

…Tank-Killing Rangers.

"In 1972, the U.S. Army Combat Developments Command designed an experimental Ranger unit. The specialized infantry company would work with helicopter gunships to take out enemy tanks.

USACDC's Ranger Airmobile Infantry Company had 12 teams. Each of these six-man units included a Dragon missile launcher, depicted in the photo below.

In addition, each team had a Huey helicopter to fly it around the battlefield. In a shooting war with the Soviets, the Rangers would scout ahead and locate enemy tanks for AH-1 gunships packing lethal TOW missiles…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Interesting idea. Did the Soviets have similar ideas – hence the passenger compartment in the Mi-24?

The Soviets definitely envisioned using the Mi-24 to fly small teams around the battlefield. I'm not sure whether or not these troops would then be expected to work in concert with the gunships though.

Also, the US Army had been evaluating whether helicopter gunships were more or less effective than dismounted anti-tank teams and whether the two could be used in tandem as early as 1964.

During the Cold War, after Vietnam, tank-killing was a #1 priority of the US ARMY Infantry. We had lots of training in it. With the massive threat of waves of Warsaw Pact AFVs coming across the inter-German border and elsewhere. The A-10 was specifically designed for that. Along with AT missiles mounted on choppers, jeeps, etc., etc. … In both Light and Mech Infantry Bns there was the addition of an AT Company with TOWs mounted on M151 Jeeps or the M901 ITVs, respectively. Our unit motto delcared by our Bn Cdr, when I was in 1-58 Mech '87 -'89, was, "Patriots Kill Tanks !" …