attack choppers

[SkyAnt 0]

What will eventually replace the US Marines Super Cobra?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[jtval 0]

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What will eventually replace the US Marines Super Cobra?

um...the mega python?

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[SkyAnt 0]

I heard they were considering the Comanche but that just got cancelled right?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[PurpleWill 1]

They should import the Rooivalk from South Africa.
Here seen firing a Kentron Mokopa anti-tank missile.

There is a lot of stuff worth doing but then there is a lot of stuff worth doing instead.

[rocketscientist 0]

yes commanche is now moth balled. all the die's, tooling, fixtures, (basically anything used in the manufacture of said chopper) is being stored about 50 ft from where i am sitting right now.

My inner child is a mean little fucker

[kallend 1,683]

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What will eventually replace the US Marines Super Cobra?

RPVs.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[pilotdave 0]

They're up to the W version of the cobra now. Just saw a couple of em last week. Pretty amazing mix of modern and vietnam era technology. I agree that a UAV will eventually replace them.... but we've only scratched the surface so far of armed UAVs. Gonna be a long time before we give real decision making authority to an unmanned armed aircraft, and until then, we need pilots.

And the comanche was not going to replace the cobra. It was a replacement for the kiowa warrior basically. Funny thing is the comanche is being replaced by the block 3 apache and probably new "little birds."

Hey rocketscientist... where are you?

Dave

[Zenister 0]

uh... UAV operators already consider themselves 'pilots', and no the decision making (fire or no) will be made at the O5/O6 level on the ground, not by the individuals flying the aircraft.....

we are already working on the dissemination platforms for several of the advanced Tactical UAVs (TUAVs) and I've been involved in the TTP (tactics, techniques, and procedures) discussions for the past year or so... If I hadn’t broken myself I'd be in Cali working with General Atomics on the updated Predator interface this week...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[SkyAnt 0]

Would america ever buy a foreign produced aircraft?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[jdhill 0]

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Would america ever buy a foreign produced aircraft?

They have in the past... but I doubt they would in this case... IF they replace the Cobra with anything, it would be an Apache...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[AggieDave 6]

For some reason when I read "attack choppers" the first image that popped into my head was one of a guy riding down the freeway on a tricked out chopper with ape hangers and a 250 rear end...and a TOW mounted where the sissy bar would be.

Ha, that would unfuck some traffic...then refuck it...jailarity would insue.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[AggieDave 6]

Here ya go, this is about what I was thinking of.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[jdhill 0]

That thing is going to hurt if he ever pulls the trigger... his face is sitting in the backblast area.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[AggieDave 6]

No one ever accused the chopper guys of being "smart" just good with making choppers.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[pilotdave 0]

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Would america ever buy a foreign produced aircraft?

The president might be flying around in a foreign designed (and 35% foreign made) helicopter when the Marine One fleet gets replaced in a few years. The decision between agusta-westland (soon to be 100% italian owned) and sikorsky aircraft will be made right after the presidential election.

And the apache couldn't really replace the cobra. Very different aircraft (which is why we use both).

Dave

[jdhill 0]

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And the apache couldn't really replace the cobra. Very different aircraft (which is why we use both).

Just curious, Super Cobra and Apache both carry Hellfires and 2.75s... Cobra has a 20mm, Apache a 30mm... what is so different in terms of capability that the Apache could not replace it?

Also, do any Army units still have Cobras? They were being transitioned out of the active forces something like 7 years ago, or did something change.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[pilotdave 0]

As far as I know, only the marines still use cobras. Thats really what I meant... Yeah the apache replaced the cobra for the army. But I don't think the marines are going to be flying apaches. I think the cost to marinize apaches (all corrosion resistant, folding blades, landing gear, etc). The apache is much bigger and really was designed for a different mission.

I think the cobra is a whole lot cheaper too. I'm sure continuing to upgrade old cobras will be cheaper than buying marinized apaches for a long long time... until UAVs are ready to replace everything.

Dave

[SkyAnt 0]

I take it that Marine pilots fly for The President even though they dont use the Sea King/S-61 themselves. You know if I were President of the United States I'd be happy to fly around in a refurbished Cobra. I get one with leather seats, tinted windows, a wicked Sterio and a backward facing seat in the gunners compartment for my "intern".

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)