Overstretched: Amy helicopters brace for Afghanistan buildup.

• Author: Rusling, Matthew

The upcoming buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan will put additional pressure on the Army's already overstretched helicopter fleet, officials said.

For the service's aviation units, the challenge will be twofold: keep up with a growing demand for helicopters in two major war zones and, simultaneously, maintain and upgrade a fleet that for six years has taken a beating flora harsh weather and sand.

Most of the Army's helicopters were designed decades ago in anticipation of a war with the now defunct Soviet Union. After the Cold War, military planners failed to predict the need to fly long hours in harsh climates and high altitudes.

The demand for helicopters in Afghanistan is going to double, said Frederick Pieper, logistics specialist at the Army's Aviation and Missile Command. Aircraft maintainers will have to contend not only with the larger workload but also the rough terrain, he noted. "Afghanistan is rural, almost stone age type conditions."

The buildup may require more helicopters than the Army can spare, said Stephen Biddle, senior fellow for defense policy at the Council for Foreign Relations, in testimony to Congress in February.

Cargo helicopters, particularly, will be taxed as ground transportation convoys that travel from Pakistan into Afghanistan suffer attacks by the Taliban. Militants have attacked shipping depots in Peshawar, Pakistan, which lies along the road to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

Shakirullah Afridi, president of Pakistan's Khyber Transport Union, announced in December that the organization will no longer transport military goods for U.S. and NATO forces to Afghanistan.

Peri Widener, program executive of Army integrated logistics at The Boeing Co., said the company avoids the Pakistan route, and ships parts--for both the Chinook cargo and the Apache attack helicopters--from the United States through Bahrain to Bagram, Afghanistan. Then Arrny helicopters fly those components to Kabul.

Boeing's databases track the availability of parts, and models forecast what is needed and when. The company also stores crucial metals--such as aluminum and titanium--and transmission components in order to prevent shortages.

Afghanistan's harsh weather will play a role in U.S. forces' ability to effectively use helicopters.

Blizzards, high winds and sub-zero temperatures boost stress on airframes. And while rotorcraft can fly in such environments, propellers can ice over and endanger flight crews.

Widener said flying in the...