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Best attack helicopter

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What do you think?

I'm gonna take the easy pick with my favorite hello of all time

The AH 64 Apache

Never cared for that airframe but love the Hellfire. I was a gun bunny when it was first fielded and while many of my friends were put in the thing, none of them had a good word. Spent a good bit of time in Fort Hood watching them being packed up and shipped to Europe. My buddies used to tell me about OR rates that wouldn't pass muster in Cobra units and I recall the circus trying to get them into theater during the Bosnian conflict. Neat set up, what with TADS and all and perhaps the bugs are all gone by now. Guess its record in the ME has been pretty good. I feel I was fortunate to transfer to lift and get a seat in the Hawk because if not, it was off to Rucker for the -64 transition for me.

My favorite attack bird is the AH1G; perfect fit for its mission. Beautiful to fly, well balanced and easy to use. The F models I flew the majority of my time in attack were just too heavy. Full fuel or full bullets; take your pick.

So, this old guy's vote is for the G model Cobra.
 
The Blackhawk. Hands down.
OR rate is twice that of the Apache, great Hellfire platform and can carry it's own reload.
Long live the Red Barons.
 
The Blackhawk. Hands down.
OR rate is twice that of the Apache, great Hellfire platform and can carry it's own reload.
Long live the Red Barons.

We ex-gun guys who made it over to the Hawk used to drool at the prospects of getting the thing configured for an attack mission. So much power, room and maneuverability. This video is a look at what might have been;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YKoih5w4Lc
 
Zulu Cobra.

An example where Marine Aviation proved to be smarter than their Army counterparts. Might be the only such example....

I kid of course. The various iterations of the Marine Cobra have all been good birds it seems.
 
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Toss up

I like the look for the Apache and the Cobra. Being a former DUSTOFF pilot I'd wouldn't mind either one flying cover for me. Or for that matter a UH-60 or UH-1 with door gunners.
I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of any of them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPcA7rNbTs
 
What do you think?

I'm gonna take the easy pick with my favorite hello of all time

The AH 64 Apache

The one that rolls in on corp. and gets every Hellfire into the boardroom! Emptying the cannon magazine into skrew scheduling is extra points....
 
The AH-64 and the AH-1W were originally designed and used for very different missions. AH-64's were designed for deep attack while the AH-1W operated close in, in direct support of troops. The Army's concept of deep attack initially worked well in the first Gulf War but proved disastorous the second time around in Iraq. AH-64's now perform escort and close support duties just like the AH-1W but with all sorts of complex sensors they needed for the deep attack mission that they no longer perform. Hands down the AH-1W has to be the better aircraft for this mission. Less complex, lighter, easier to maintain, and does better in combat conditions.
 

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