Army Aircraft Icing
LINDAMAE PECK, CHARLES C. RYERSON, AND C. JAMES MARTEL
1
INTRODUCTION
This report presents aircraft icing's impact on Army aviation, as reported in
2000/2001 by soldiers and civilians responsible for the Army's capabilities in the
areas of general aviation, Special Operations aviation, medical evacuation, and
unmanned aerial vehicles.
The U.S. Army's reliance on aviation has grown continuously since the
inception of modern Army aviation on 6 June 1942 and the subsequent estab-
lishment of the Aviation Branch in 1983. The Army employs the versatility,
deployability, and lethality of its aviation assets in its full range of missions.
During conflicts the operational Army uses aircraft for attack, air assault, recon-
naissance, transportation, combat search and rescue, and observation. In contin-
gency operations Army aviation also conducts infiltration and evacuation. Given
this diversity of functions, external factors that restrict aviation operations can be
decisive in mission accomplishment.
The formation of ice on an aircraft is an obvious example of an external
factor hindering aviation operations. In-flight ice accumulation on windscreens
and instrument ports creates the situation of a pilot essentially flying blind, with
limited or no visibility and unreliable instrument aids. The added weight of
accumulated ice on the airframe reduces the aircraft's load capacity and increases
fuel consumption. If helicopter rotor blades shed ice asymmetrically, the resultant
imbalance causes severe vibrations that can force emergency landings and the
potential for Foreign Object Damage (FOD). Most important, the shape of ice on
rotor blades affects aerodynamics and increases drag, which reduces aircraft lift
and controllability. Ground icing increases the time required to prepare aircraft
for flight, with negative consequences for readiness and OPTEMPO. In addition,
forecast of icing conditions in a planned flight profile cancels missions, or at best
causes delays due to rerouting.
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