US, Poland and UK maintain dedicated special‑operations helicopter units
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The US Army operates a dedicated special‑operations helicopter fleet of 190 aircraft, while Poland operates a dedicated fleet of 16 aircraft; the UK Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing was formed on 2 April 2001 by the Ministry of Defence.
The UK wing’s heavy‑lift core is the Boeing CH‑47 Chinook, operated by No. 7 Squadron RAF at RAF Odiham, and No. 658 Squadron Army Air Corps supports 22 SAS for domestic counter‑terrorism from Stirling Lines; No. 27 Squadron formally assumed readiness as NATO’s Special Operations Air Task Unit on 1 July 2026 and took part in the two‑week Exercise Hyperion Storm in January 2026, which involved its Chinooks. The UK has retired the Westland Lynx and Sud Aviation AS341 Gazelle from its light‑helicopter element.