The Vietnam War witnessed the advent of the attack helicopter. It was the first major conflict that saw widespread use of helicopters in a combat setting. Since then, helicopters have played a role in every major war or conflict. The proliferation of combat helicopters across world militaries has also coincided with their technological evolution. As such, more countries than ever before are adding even more combat helicopters to their ranks. (These are the nations with the largest fleets of military helicopters.)
The most widely sought after combat helicopters are the AH-64 Apache and the S-70 Black Hawk. However, this is not the end of the list. There are a number of other helicopters being added at world militaries that are demonstrably the future of this rotor-based aircraft.
To identify the combat helicopters of the future, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ordered these combat helicopters by how many are currently on order. We also included supplemental data on how many of these helicopters are in active service and what militaries employ these helicopters.
The S-70 Black Hawk is one of the most widely recognizable military helicopters. Introduced to service in 1979 in a medium-lift, multi-mission capacity, the Black Hawk serves a number of roles outside of just combat. It is capable of transport, search and rescue, as well as MedEvac among other roles. When it is deployed for combat, It can be outfitted with a series of machine guns as well as anti-tank missiles and rocket pods.
The AH-64 Apache is a dedicated two-seat attack helicopter primarily designated for combat. It can reach speeds over 180 mph and has an operational range of 298 miles. Much like the Black Hawk, it can be outfitted with anti-tank missiles, rocket pods and machine guns, but it can also equip anti-radiation missiles and even Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.(These are the gunship helicopters of the modern era.)
Here is a look at the combat helicopters of the future:
47. S-92
Source: Jarvin Jarle Vines / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 1
- Total active aircraft: 24
- Countries with these aircraft: Canada
46. AW119
Source: Palácio do Planalto / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 2
- Total active aircraft: 5
- Countries with these aircraft: Portugal
45. Mi-38
- Total aircraft on order: 2
- Total active aircraft: 2
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
44. AW609 (SAR)
Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 3
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: United Arab Emirates
43. Bell 429
Source: Thinkstock
- Total aircraft on order: 3
- Total active aircraft: 8
- Countries with these aircraft: Guyana, Jamaica
42. SA315
Source: pixelshowmeine / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 4
- Total active aircraft: 40
- Countries with these aircraft: India
41. AW189
Source: Ryan Fletcher / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 8
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Egypt
40. Z-9
Source: viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 8
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Venezuela
39. Z-19
Source: Alert5 / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 11
- Total active aircraft: 175
- Countries with these aircraft: China
38. AW109
Source: Tim Felce / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 12
- Total active aircraft: 21
- Countries with these aircraft: Argentina, Nigeria
37. Bell 407
Source: Mgroessing / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 14
- Total active aircraft: 40
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Argentina
36. H125
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 14
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Chile, Argentina, Tanzania
35. Mi-26
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 15
- Total active aircraft: 44
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
34. Mi-35
Source: friedebach / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 19
- Total active aircraft: 27
- Countries with these aircraft: Ghana, Iraq, Serbia
33. H215M
Source: VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 20
- Total active aircraft: 25
- Countries with these aircraft: Romania, Saudia Arabia, Bulgaria
32. AW169
Source: Österreichisches Bundesheer / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 28
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Dominican Republic, Austria
31. Z-10
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 29
- Total active aircraft: 109
- Countries with these aircraft: China, Pakistan
30. AW149
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 31
- Total active aircraft: 25
- Countries with these aircraft: Egypt, Poland
29. UH-1Y
Source: viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 31
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Czech Republic, Romania
28. AH-6i
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 32
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Jordan, Thailand
27. Mi-8/17/171
Source: Volodymyr Vorobiov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 33
- Total active aircraft: 803
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru
26. Mi-24/35
Source: slezo / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 37
- Total active aircraft: 103
- Countries with these aircraft: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mali, Niger
25. MD530
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 42
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Malaysia, Nigeria
24. AW101
Source: charlo_be / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 43
- Total active aircraft: 53
- Countries with these aircraft: Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland
23. Dhruv ALH/Rudra
- Total aircraft on order: 43
- Total active aircraft: 220
- Countries with these aircraft: India
22. AW249
Source: cooke1 / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 48
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: Italy
21. S/T-70
- Total aircraft on order: 52
- Total active aircraft: 58
- Countries with these aircraft: Turkey
20. Prachanda (Light Combat Helicopter)
Source: razihusin / Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 60
- Total active aircraft: 5
- Countries with these aircraft: India
19. AH-1Z
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 61
- Total active aircraft: 9
- Countries with these aircraft: Bahamas, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Romania
18. H145
Source: Tim Rademacher / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 63
- Total active aircraft: 408
- Countries with these aircraft: Cyprus, Germany, United States, Serbia
17. CV/MV/V-22
Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 77
- Total active aircraft: 367
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Indonesia
16. NH90 (NFH)
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 78
- Total active aircraft: 63
- Countries with these aircraft: Germany, Spain, Qatar, Greece
15. H225M
Source: Victor Ambriz / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 80
- Total active aircraft: 91
- Countries with these aircraft: Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia
14. T129
Source: campaignagainstarmstrade / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 85
- Total active aircraft: 62
- Countries with these aircraft: Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey
13. MD500
Source: James Cromwell / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 86
- Total active aircraft: 82
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Saudi Arabia
12. H160M
- Total aircraft on order: 91
- Total active aircraft: 4
- Countries with these aircraft: France
11. AW139
Source: sjbyles / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 94
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Australia, Turkmenistan, United States, Slovenia
10. Light Combat Helicopter
Source: cne-cna-c6f / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 111
- Total active aircraft: 3
- Countries with these aircraft: India
9. Mi-28
Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 117
- Total active aircraft: 111
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Russia, Venezuela
8. Ka-52
Source: vlsergey / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 141
- Total active aircraft: 137
- Countries with these aircraft: Russia
7. Surion KUH-1
Source: koreaaero / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 153
- Total active aircraft: 100
- Countries with these aircraft: South Korea
6. Bell 412
Source: Ministry of Defense (Japan) / Wikimedia Commons
- Total aircraft on order: 156
- Total active aircraft: 6
- Countries with these aircraft: Iraq, Japan
5. Light Attack Helicopter
Source: marine_corps / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 200
- Total active aircraft: 0
- Countries with these aircraft: South Korea
4. CH-53/K
- Total aircraft on order: 211
- Total active aircraft: 33
- Countries with these aircraft: Israel, United States
3. CH-47
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 234
- Total active aircraft: 649
- Countries with these aircraft: United Kingdom, Egypt, South Korea, Spain
2. AH-64
Source: usarak / Flickr
- Total aircraft on order: 327
- Total active aircraft: 980
- Countries with these aircraft: Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United States, India
1. S-70
Source: fikretozk / iStock via Getty Images
- Total aircraft on order: 921
- Total active aircraft: 3,240
- Countries with these aircraft: United States, Saudi Arabia, India, Taiwan
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