Hurricane29 Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 (edited) Well it looks like the program got killed. For more info check the link. Link Edit: oops, mods lock and delete away, didn't see the other thread Edited February 24, 2004 by Hurricane29
the white drew carey Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 I beat you to the punch, Hurricane!!! http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=5740
GRAND CANNON Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 Yeah, it's too bad as it was a sharp aircraft. But in this age (as opposed to the mid-eighties), would it have been operationally worth it? Guess we'll never know. I do hope that the Raptor and especially the Osprey survive. Although I get the feeling that the F-35 will end up being the fixed-wing aircraft that may take precedence over the Raptor as unmanned aircraft are getting more mature.
JsARCLIGHT Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 Doesn't suprise me. The government has A.D.D. when it comes to mechanicals these days, they drop programs and pick up new ones like cards in poker... makes me wonder why they spend so long developing things they will never use... also makes me wonder if some insider dealing got it canned for some reason, maybee old Tricky Dick Cheney had something to do with killing this warbird along with the F-14...
Stamen0083 Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 I do hope that the Raptor and especially the Osprey survive. I was hoping they'd sacrifice the Osprey for the Comanche. I can't believe they're sacrificing the Comanche for the Osprey.
Firefox Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 It's a sad news. I've been told about this Commanche since my primary school and waiting to see it fly in the sky with my own eyes. Now I guess I could only see it archival documentary.
VF19 Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 Raptor = good. Osprey = canceled, and sucks. Commanche = good concept, good model, and then comes the government.
Apollo Leader Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 Not too surprised that this happened, but it sucks since it will take more years and more $$$taxpayer dollars$$$ before the next generation of attack helicopter will be fielded.
rdenham Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 It appears that the Army’s loss is the Air Forces gain. The US Air Force will buy the short take-off variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and upgrade a portion of its 30-year-old A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet in order to bolster the service's ability to provide support for ground forces, according to senior USAF leaders.
Stamen0083 Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 AH-64D Longbow is good enough. The Comanche is much, much better.
Neova Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 (edited) OT but for model guys, what is the best Commanche Model kit out now? Preferably 1/48 and 1/72 scales. Hasegawa? I need to pick up a few for diorama building and hopefully before prices goes crazy. Despites it cold war blocky look, like the F117 Stealth, I love it. Beautiful bird but hey, if it makes way for Macross Plus like Drones in the future, then so be it. Edited February 24, 2004 by Neova
the white drew carey Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 (edited) AH-64D Longbow is good enough. The Comanche is much, much better. But look at it this way: Would the extraordinary price tag of the Comanche justify the limited technical advancements it would enjoy on the battlefield? Simply put, helicopters are slow, low-flying targets. The more cutting-edge technology you put into one, the more expensive your pile of scrap is going to be when small arms fire from a bunch of farmers brings it down. The Comanche was a holdover from the cold war, designed for a large battlefield which, more than likely, will never be seen again*. There once was a time when avation companies made oodles of prototype designs just to see if they'd work. For the past quarter-century, though, many designs arebought and sold before they're even off of the drawing board, and by the time the product actually flies, the government has spent more on one working model than they have for education for that whole year. Don't get me wrong, I fully support a strong military, but politics and wheel-greasing have supplanted an actual desire for a working product. OK- I'll stop ranting. *see B-2 Spirit, B-1 Lancer and Supersized #2, with a Coke. Edited February 24, 2004 by the white drew carey
eugimon Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 I think it's about time the govenrment cancelled this bloated project... the commanche just has no place in the modern battlefield... it was supposed to be a stealthy recon chopper... if iraq and afghanistan taught us anything is that using helos in recon/behind enemy line manuvers is a really quick way of putting pilot lives at risk. The osprey on the other hand makes sense for the type of war america is going to be fighting.. they'll need to get armour and infantry into enemy territory without the benefit of existing runways for larger cargo planes... Iraq was a prime example of this, if we had better lift technology, Turkey and Saudi Arabia wouldn't have been as important to our invasion plans.
91WhiskeyM6 Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 It appears that the Army’s loss is the Air Forces gain. The US Air Force will buy the short take-off variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and upgrade a portion of its 30-year-old A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet in order to bolster the service's ability to provide support for ground forces, according to senior USAF leaders. No way an F-35 can truly replace the A-10 hog. The A-10 is armed with an anti-tank 30mm cannon and it's protected by titanium against anti-aircraft weapons. The A-10 is a dedicated tank killer designed to massacre anything rectagular and made of steel. I love the F-35, but no way I would this expensive fighter flying low and slow on a tank killing run.
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