There are a couple of major offensive ops under way at the moment - as mentioned in the news as well. When we go out looking for trouble, there will always be more bloodshed.
Helicopters are not going to stop the deaths either - although a few more would help things. We still need troops on the ground and that isn't going to go away regardless of the technology. It is also technology and medical advances that ensure more survive what would have killed them 20 years ago - giving us the higher numbers of wounded returning.