| |
In lugnet.technic, Steven Lane wrote:
| |
The U.S army has cancelled the Commanche helicopter program.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aTaDFSD81RLI&refer=us
Which is a shame as I only saw one on the TV the other day.
They’ve also cancelled the rather cool crusader self-propelled artillery.
Steve
|
Correction: it’s the actual codename for this project is
RAH-66 “Comanche”.
Also check out this great BBC article. And yes, I know the BBC is biased, but I think this article is
worth a read.
While I have to agree with you (and my brother), that the Comanche was darn
cool, this is not such a surprise for the defence industry.
Look at all the Blackhawks and Apaches that have been lost in Afghanistan and
Iraq. A lot have been damaged by the simplest of weapons, namely the RPG-7 and
assorted Kalashnikov rifles/machineguns.
Now, if the “armoured” Blackhawks and Apaches can be hurt by shaped-charge
warheads, and 7.62mm+ calibre rounds, think what would happen if the thin
skinned Commanche was struck by them?
I read here that there is high probability
that the Hellfire missiles, even when stowed inside the helicopter can be hit by
rounds and ignited. Imagine that! An anti-tank missile exploding inside an
already frail helicopter!
Let’s face it, the “Comanche” and the “Crusader” are clearly project holdovers
from the Cold War era. I mean seriously, how can an “Advanced Field Artillery
System” (Crusader), that weighs tens of tons, and takes perhaps days to
transport to a battlefield, be justified as a weapon to combat terrorism?
It is ironic actually. The American military says they need 7000 armoured
HUMVEEs and more M4 carbines! Can you believe that while the Pentagon is wasting
money on the “Comanche” and “Crusader” the US army and marines still have
small-arms inferior to what the Germans, Russians, not to mention the terrorists
are using? The M60 and M16 are fine weapons... But so much has advanced since
their conceptions.
The results:
The M60 (and M60E3) are both replaced by temporary foreign machineguns, the
Belgium M240 and M249. Both are considered temporary. The M16A2 will be
scrapped, and the German G36 inspired
M8 (XM8)
assualt rifles. And guess what? They’re using a brand new calibre:
6.8mm
Remington. And they’re also developing a 25mm grenade launcher.
So do you see just how skewed the priorities of the US military have been? While
the American soldier is one of the best in the world, why does the Army’s and
Marine’s infantry get such outdated weapons? Why is money wasted on holdovers
from the Cold War? What nation will even attempt to attack the US with its
military?
Sorry for the rant, but maybe you’ll come away from this post a little wiser. I
say that as the world’s greatest and only superpower, America should still be
advancing itself, not just in high-tech weaponry, but the low-tech ones as well.
Assymmetric warfare, much like other tactics in history, has changed everything.
Mladen Pejic
|
|
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Commanche helicopter
|
| The U.S army has cancelled the Commanche helicopter program. (URL) is a shame as I only saw one on the TV the other day. They've also cancelled the rather cool crusader self-propelled artillery. Steve (21 years ago, 24-Feb-04, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.build.military)
|
2 Messages in This Thread:
 
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
