However, it also created an arbitrary 5,000 pound weight restriction limit on the Army's ability to fly fixed-wing aircraft.
From 1947 until 1983, Army Aviation assets were controlled by "proponent branches" based on aircraft and unit type.
Prior to 1983 potential Army Aviators were commissioned into a "basic branch" (i.e., Infantry Armor, Field Artillery, etc.
[9] The Air Force had tried to retire and/or transfer to the Reserves its entire A-10 fleet, replacing them with the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, just before the First Gulf War.
The First Gulf War proved the value of the A-10 in the close air support role, while also showing the limitations of the F-16 as a CAS aircraft.