DRE
-----Original Message-----
From: Angel Stewart [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 7:52 PM
To: CF-Community
Subject: Comanche Cancelled :(
Welp.
The Comanche helicopter programe was cancelled.
For those that don't know, the Comanche was a stealthy attack helicopter
that was supposed to replace the Apache 64s...which may now have to
somehow fly until 2030 or beyond?
So about twenty years and 6.9Billion dollars later...the project gets
cancelled.
The line is that after seeing what happened in Iraq, stealth isn't worth
diddly squat because any guy with an eyeball can nail a helo with a
cheap RPG.
Will the F22 be next?
They also say that America and her allies no longer have to defend
against a threat as during the cold war, and UAVs can do the same job as
helicopters like the Comanche at a fraction of the cost.
"Excerpt from Jane`s Defence Weekly:
"...The Comanche was intended to be a light reconnaissance helicopter
with stealth capabilities. But advances in UAVs have suggested that they
might do that job better, while simple rocket-propelled grenade and
missile attacks on US helicopters in Iraq have shown that the Comanche's
stealthiness would not be as useful as it was thought at the 1983
inception of the programme, when it was designed to face Soviet air
defense systems.
"
"...the system was too vulnerable to anti-aircraft threats and did not
fit with future army plans."
"...The officials said the army will now start to plan an entirely new
reconnaissance aircraft as a replacement for the OH-58 Kiowa. The army
also plans to buy a new version of the AH-64 Apache, known as Block III.
Army officials Monday said this version will have all the advantages of
the Comanche except stealthiness."
So they cancel a project that already took 6.9Billion dollars and two
decades, it was close to completion....in order to start on yet ANOTHER
project for reconaissance...??
And the prototype "Stealth" system was too vulnerable to anti aircraft
threats....which is why they are upgrading the completely non-stealthy
Apache?
I'm certainly not privy to any 'inside' information, but the reasons
given and the alternatives just don't seem to add up.
What's going to happen if America DOES have to fight a conventional war
against a fairly modern opponent? How could stealth not be necessary
simply because it wasn't very useful in Iraq?
Somehow I am starting to think the whole Defence Industry in the US
right now is about making money, rather than on defence. Because that
6.9 Billion certainly went into a lot of pockets, and what's there to
show for it?
But, they are getting *more* funding for yet another Reconnaissance helo
design?
Let's see...the Comanche was nearing completion, so the development
budget was nearing the end. So...let's cancel the Comanche, and get a
new development budget?
"The Comanche was being designed and built as a joint project by Boeing
Co. and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, employing about 1,300 people. The
companies issued a joint statement saying they were "surprised and
disappointed" by the Army's decision.
"Five of these advanced technology aircraft are on the production line
today, and we are on plan for the program," the statement said. "While
we regret the Army's announcement, we are committed to working closely
with our customer and will engage in further discussions to ensure we
have a complete understanding of the next steps for Comanche."
Again we see this whole "war on terror" rear its ugly head, as an army
spokesman stated that America's focus now is its war on terror, which
calls for different requirements for which the Comanche wasn't suited.
Is there anything that the 'War On Terror' Cannot be used to justify??
HYPERLINK
"http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/23/helicopter.cancel/index.html"http://ww
w.cnn.com/2004/US/02/23/helicopter.cancel/index.html
-Gel
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