 From Soldiers Radio and Television, this is the Army Today, a daily feature from around the globe. The latest aircraft, future gear, and what Army aviation might look like in the year 2030. All this and more was on display at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual professional forum and exposition in Nashville, Tennessee. With eyes on the skies, Army Aviation leaders are conceiving a new aircraft. While still a concept, the capabilities are already known. I see this aircraft being able to do all the missions that we currently do. While the future looks bright, the UH-60 Mike is making current Blackhawk pilots' lives a lot easier. The Mike model offers multifunctional displays and nearly full autopilot capabilities. Chief Foreign Officer Richard Anderson is sitting in the exact Blackhawk heat flu in Afghanistan. He explained some of the benefits he experienced while deployed. It's really good flying into the mountain area. So even if you start getting into questionable visibility, zero-alume nights where it's really hard to pick up contrast as far as where the mountains are, your displays will actually let you know if you're going to clear the terrain or not. As Army aircraft are modernized, the equipment their pilots and crews wear is being improved as well. The biggest issues with our gear is weight and bulk, so we want to get about 25 to 40 percent weight and bulk off the soldier. This gear was originally designed to fly missions of five, five and a half hours. Our crew members now in Afghanistan and Iraq are flying in excess of 11 hours, so our biggest thing is to get that weight and bulk off them. During the exposition, the focus was on technology. But the real importance is the people these new capabilities benefit the most. Army aviation exists for one thing and one thing only. It exists to support the ground commander and the Army's mission. That's the Army Today.