Forum: Rotary Wing Aircraft

I'm going to be very broad here for obvious reasons, but let's just say I work in the defense department. We had a contract for work on "something" for the Commanche and were shocked when we got the call that it had been cancelled. Anyways that was around two years ago and we still have the "something" sitting around in storage. Well two weeks ago we got a phone call asking if we still had the "something". Very interesting I thought. Why would they ask about it? It can only be used for the Commanche. Question

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Government bought it, they are entitled to it. Maybe they just realized it was never delivered and want it.

The US goverment has cancelled the RAH-66 Comanche, a great and advanced recognise and attack helicopter, so now, I think US ARMY is going to buy more units of AH-64 Apache and the future version AH-64X, and is posible to desarrollate a new light helicopter to sustitute the Kiowa Warriors and the AH-6 Little Bird and the old AH-1F Cobra.

Does anyone know what the US ARMY will do?

Well the "Apache X" idea does indeed sound interesting. Not sure what the Army has decided to do with the funding from Commanche but I'd speculate that someday someone may propose integrating some of Commanche's innards into a revamped Apache Longbow. And do it in a timely manner, not 15+ years like Commanche did.

While the new Apache may not be as maneuverable or stealthy as Commanche would've been, one might try to give it some of the same recon and battlefield management capabilites the Commanche had. Things like target detection and prioritization, net-centric comm, ELINT, SIGINT, things like that.

I'm with you there Link. Commanche took far too long to develop. If the Army had one operational model about 3 or 4 years before they did, I think the program would have been spared.

I see the V-22 program suffering from the same problem(s), and does it yet have a date when it will enter service?

Apache is a fine chopper in the interim. Perhaps the Army could go "Back to the Future" and select the AH-1Z (the OTHER Viper) to SUPPLEMENT the Apache.

Apache will not have a replacement for a long time to come. Aviation is, unfortunately, not an area that the Army spends vast amounts on.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

God forbit the AF ever sell them the A-10! But we all know that aint happening! Laughing

-Aaron

Last edited by agilefalcon16 on Jun 01, 2005 - 05:33 PM; edited 1 time in total

LinkF-16SimDude wrote:

While the new Apache may not be as maneuverable or stealthy as Commanche would've been, one might try to give it some of the same recon and battlefield management capabilites the Commanche had. Things like target detection and prioritization, net-centric comm, ELINT, SIGINT, things like that.

I saw a special on the Commanche a few days ago, and it was incredible. They showed footage of the prototype flying SIDEWAYS with a car traveling at speeds of 80mph. Shocked

It's too bad they cancelled it, but since they did, I'll agree with Link, the Army will probably just by an advanced variant of the AH-64 Longbow Apache.

I am with you about the comanche, I think are the best solution.

what will happen with the Kiowa Warrior OH-58D? Is problaby the US ARMY will sustitute it by an UAV. However, the UAV can´t correct the artillery shots, and can´t guide the A-10A thunderbolt to the necessary place. So i think the army could use the Kiowa some years more and sustitute it for a new recon helicopter. But i´m not sure the army will do.

They've talked about replacing the Kiowa for a LONG time. They also talked about replacing the Loach for a LONG time, which was finally replaced by the Kiowa.

Like I said though, the Army doesn't spend on aviation like the AF and the Navy do. Don't worry though. As bad as the Army might want the Warthog, they won't get them.

I had an idea the other day. Perhaps they should make a new model of the Huey, with better engines, stronger armor, and a faster speed. It's smaller than the Blackhawk, and that might help prevent many of the rocket attacks we've seen in Iraq.

One would think the Army would have learned a valuable lesson from another war involving helicopters, and would have their $hit together by now. They cancelled the best thing they had going, and now they need to come up with something very quickly.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

Well, I've heard recently that the army is getting a couple new helicopters, both bases on off-the-shelf commercial models already in production. Unfortunatly I can't remember what they were going to be for, but I don't think either were going to be combat variants, more 'support' models. I also agree with what someone (can't remember who) posted a while ago; the army needs to update their tactics. Most of the higher-ups still have the 'hide behind the mountain and pop up to kill waves of tanks' mentality. That is why they like the mast mount radar/recon systems so much. I don't think this type of flying is still really relevant now; the pilot is focusing on holding the hover while the WSO (or whatever the army calls them) works the sysyems; neither is looking around for the guy on the ground with an RPG, which can hit a hovering helicopter pretty easy.

The marines, on the other hand, evidently teach their pilots to keep moving; always in an orbit, maneuvering around, etc, which makes them alot harder to hit. The new AH-1 supposedly has the Longbow's radar, but mounted in the nose instead of on a mast, since they don't try to just sit behind a hill and hide the whole time. Just my thoughts.

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

Of course the Blackhawks in Somalia were orbiting when they got tagged with RPGs, but you're right, hovering in a hot area is just asking for trouble.

I know this is not the right place but i know of no other more dedicated
aviation forum than this one so:

Does anyone else beside me miss the Comanche, and the fact that they never
planned on producing this brilliant machine, wow those demo videos that i've seen was
simply breathtaking.

Does anyone know if the Army still has a prototype somewhere that they play with every now and then?

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

Supposedly the Army decided the money would be better used to upgrade and modernize the existing helo fleet, but who knows what kind of maneuvering was done politically.

Frankly, I thought the Comanche was a waste of money. L-O technology won't do you any good when you're flying down in the weeds, where anybody with a RPG, MANPAD, or SMARM can take pot shots in your general direction, all the while maintaining a visual on you.