This may well be so, but bear in mind that the British Army has already started receiving its Apache Longbows and the French and German armies will start getting their Tigers in December (I must admit to knowing little about helicopters, but it seems to me that the Tigers will be not much less capable than the Apaches, and for all I know their missile and rocket systems may be superior).
I'm skeptical about this. From what last I heard the helicopter will have an inferior warload, and will further be less flexible than the Apache. The current loadout of an AH-64A Apache includes a 30mm cannon with armor depleting ammunition (effective against light armored vehicles, and can tackle larger targets under good circumstances) and can carry between 8 to 16 Hellfire laser guided missiles (IIRC semi-active homing from every description I've read of them) and between 2 to 4 pods with either 7 or 19 2.75" rockets, as well as 4 Stinger missiles for defence. The Longbow Apache can carry a similar warload but uses next generation Hellfires with a millimeter wavelength radar guidance system (an Active guidance system) for a true "fire-and-forget" attack.
Compare this to the anti-armor variant of the Tiger which has an optional 12.7mm gunpod and a similar variety of weapons (although the photos I saw give no indication that AIM missiles can be used to supplement the primary armament without sacrificing attack firepower, like in the Apache). An air-to-air variant offers a 30mm cannon, rockets and AIM missiles. A fire support version is identical to the anti-armor variant with the only difference being possibly role and detail differences.
The greatest difference is in the Tiger's primary anti-armor weapon system: the aircraft launched anti-tank guided missiles. The Tiger is to be armed with the HOT missile system (for all intents and purposes largely equivalent to the US TOW II weapon system) which is limited in range (it is wire-guided and thus limited by the length of the wire spool) and the fact that the launch aircraft has much less capability to undertake evasive maneuvers compared to the Apache. Semi-active laser homing Hellfires do not require the launch helicopter to hold its position as rigorously, only that the target is continuously illuminated with a laser beam. Additionally, laser Hellfires can be "lobbed" over hills and the target designated either by other Apache's (or Super Cobras for that matter), Kiowa Warrior scouts helicopters, or ground forces. The limitations of wire guidance does not allow any of these options. Furthermore, while the Trigat missile system offers laser guidance, the information I found suggests that it will use Laser Beam Riding guidance (which means the missile literally rides a laser beam down to the target) suggesting not only less maneuverability for the missile system itself, but also less capability for remote designation or indirect fire. Finally the MR version of the Trigat has a range of around 2400m, far less than the some 6km of the Hellfire (note that the Trigan appears to be an improved version of the new Trigat man-portable anti-armor guided missile system).
My evaluation: the Tiger has significant limitations in its payload and weapons systems when compared to the new generation Apaches.
Damon.
------------------------------------------------------------ Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: On Hiatus :) ------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
