The AH-64 Apache Helicopter, Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive and the Return of ‘Maneuver Warfare’ in Europe | Aviation

As armored and ‘maneuver warfare’ emerges in Europe, the one weapon that can pin down enemy steel and infantry, which Ukraine lacks in large numbers, Russia has and the US is fervently potentiating, is the attack helicopter.

The stunning Ukrainian incursion into Kursk finally marks the dawn of Western ‘maneuver warfare’ on the front. Fast moving mechanized formations assaulted the frontline ‘screens’, driving deep into the enemy rear, exploiting the lack of Russian defensive preparedness there. But as Western think-tanks like the ISW (Institute for the Study of War) suggest, it is important to capitalize on the “operational surprise,” “restore” maneuver warfare and address the “problems” with “permanent positional warfare.”

However, it is difficult to imagine Ukraine completely overturning the Russian advances and taking back the seized territory. As Western reports themselves note, the Kursk offensive merely hands Ukraine “a potential bargaining chip to be used in negotiations.”

Thus, modern armored warfare is again becoming a reality in the European theater. Armor-on-armor contacts have been recorded between Russian and Ukrainian tanks. But the one weapon…