Why Helicopters From The Army Have Native American Names?

Have you ever wondered why helicopters of the army have Native American names? Well, you have come to the right place!

Names like  Apache, Black Hawk, Kiowa. The naming of these helicopters was actually on purpose, let’s find out more about why these powerful birds have such cool and awesome names.

But Why The Name?

The military of the U.S has had a long history of battles between them and the Native Americans. Armed conflicts were often fought between the two from the time the Europeans first touched down on the North Americas in the 1400s. These battles were known as the American Indian Wars.

Many Native Americans also served in the military of the United States for more than 200 years as some of the fiercest warriors. The Medal of Honor( the nation’s highest military award) has been earned by 32 Native Americans.

The naming of helicopters after Native Americans was once an official regulation. That regulation no longer exists, but the naming tradition of nameing these helicopters after Native American tribe’s or people’s stuck.

So How Did It All Come About?

The naming of these helicopters goes back to the time before the Air Force split from the Army in 1947. Army General, Hamilton Howze was assigned to the Army Aviation. His mission was to develop rules and regulations about how to employ Army aircraft and how they would support fighters on the ground.

The first two helicopters were named Hoverfly and Dragonfly. However, Howze wasn’t a fan of the names of the first two helicopters. So, he made instructions for naming the helicopters after what could be done with them.

Since the choppers were agile and fast, they would attack enemy flanks and fade away, just like the tribes on the Great Plains they had fought during the American Indian Wars. Howze decided the next helicopter made would be called the “Sioux” in honor of the Native Americans who battled the U.S Army soldiers who defeated the 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Army Regulation 70-28

Army Regulation 70-28, dated April 4, 1969, made the tradition of conferring tribal names on military choppers official policy, and names are selected from a list provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 2012, American Indian leaders came out to ritually bless two new LUH-72 Lakota helicopters.

Other vehicles that included tanks, which were to be named after American generals like Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman; Also weapons of the infantry would receive names for famous early American pioneers like Daniel Boone and assault weapons would get names of reptiles and insects like cobra and scorpion.

The Black Hawk Helicopter

This famous helicopter can be found in various war movies. The Black Hawk Helicopter was named after the famous war chief Black Hawk, who fought in a serious of battles between U.S settlers that had driven them from their land.

The Tradition Of Native American Names Continues

AR 70-28 was eventually replaced with other policies that did not mention the criteria of having to name the helicopters after Native American tribes, but it’s clear that the tradition has continued.

So when you think of these amazing helicopters, you will always be remind of the furiousness of the people, chiefs or tribes they are named after.

After we let out any additional information? let us know in the comments it would be greatly appreciated.