http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=4418410
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Defense Department is scrapping the $38 billion RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program being developed by Boeing Co. and United Technologies Corp., government sources said on Monday.
The Comanche was meant to replace OH-58 Kiowa and AH-1 Cobra helicopters, and assist AH-64 Apache attack helicopters in locating targets. The Comanche had been due to enter full production in 2009.
...alot of money is now available for other technologies...maybe they will invest some more in Nanotech...
Comanche Helicopter is Cancelled
Funny, I think the Huey's in RVN cost around $250K. These Commanche cost $60 Million each. An astronomical amount. Lose 4 helo's in crash's and you just blew 1/4 billion dollars. Whew. This Commanche will prolly be revived in say 2 years at a cost of $100 million each. It just needs a couple of Phasers & Photon Torpedo's to update it.
RLTW
Steadfast
4/325 82d DIV 68-69
2nd Bde HHC (LRRP), 4 ID
K Co (Rgr), 75th Inf (Abn), 4 ID
69-70
I cooked with C- 4
Steadfast
4/325 82d DIV 68-69
2nd Bde HHC (LRRP), 4 ID
K Co (Rgr), 75th Inf (Abn), 4 ID
69-70
I cooked with C- 4
-
Spartan
was just watching CSPAN for the past 1/2 hour (hey it was interesting) they said they would be purchasing and upgrading Apache longbows with some of the funds set aside for the commanches.
And they were talking alot about upgrading and buying new National guard aircraft...
And they were talking alot about upgrading and buying new National guard aircraft...
Slip away.
(Badmuther's Bitch)
being held hostage in sandhill...
(Badmuther's Bitch)
being held hostage in sandhill...
Harris, *if* you make it to Batt, if the rules are still the same, the only thing you will be allowed to watch during duty hours is CSPAN/CNN......Harris wrote:was just watching CSPAN for the past 1/2 hour (hey it was interesting) they said they would be purchasing and upgrading Apache longbows with some of the funds set aside for the commanches.
And they were talking alot about upgrading and buying new National guard aircraft...
-
Spartan
An excellent briefing took place yesterday afternoon regarding this subject:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/ ... -0484.html
In summary, the Comanche was cancelled due to a study the Army conducted. The study conclusions were that current and future operational tempo rates are having attrition on the current inventory of helicopters that was not foreseeable when the Comanche program was first initiated in 1984. That the threat posed and technology base that existed at the time supported a helicopter of the type that the Commanche would have been and is. That is no longer the case. $6.9 Billion Dollars were spent on the development of the Comanche and it is foreseeable that it will require between $450-680M to complete closing the program down.
Much of the technology developed for the Comanche will be integrated into current and future Army aircraft. Most of the mission requirements for which the Comanche was envisioned will be met by integrating this technology into the Apache Longbow itself, or by combining the Apache with UAVs for reconnassaince and/or weapons delivery far foward of the Apache's position.
In the end, the $39B that was required to develop and manufacture the Comanche can now be reallocated for the purchase of additional Blackhawks, Chinooks and Apaches, as well as retrofitting existing aircraft with new technology. The Army wants much of the aircraft in it's inventory to be brought up to the cockpit technology standards currently used by US Army Special Operations Aviation.
Additionally, as the Reserve and NG component are being used to a far greater extent, the OH-58's and UH-1 aircraft that are in use there will be retired and UH-60's will be pushed down to those units at a faster rate, so that air crews and other users in those units can be deployed without a large amount of additional training.
As a taxpayer, I think they made a fairly wise and frugal decision and I'm glad they made it. You don't go throwing an additonal $31.4 Billion dollars into a single model of aircraft when you have a mix of less expensive existing technology that can be used to accomplish the same mission for far fewer dollars. Especially when you have an increased operations tempo which creates a requirement to provide maintenance, replacements and upgrades to the existing aircraft base worth more than $100 Billion dollars.
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/ ... -0484.html
In summary, the Comanche was cancelled due to a study the Army conducted. The study conclusions were that current and future operational tempo rates are having attrition on the current inventory of helicopters that was not foreseeable when the Comanche program was first initiated in 1984. That the threat posed and technology base that existed at the time supported a helicopter of the type that the Commanche would have been and is. That is no longer the case. $6.9 Billion Dollars were spent on the development of the Comanche and it is foreseeable that it will require between $450-680M to complete closing the program down.
Much of the technology developed for the Comanche will be integrated into current and future Army aircraft. Most of the mission requirements for which the Comanche was envisioned will be met by integrating this technology into the Apache Longbow itself, or by combining the Apache with UAVs for reconnassaince and/or weapons delivery far foward of the Apache's position.
In the end, the $39B that was required to develop and manufacture the Comanche can now be reallocated for the purchase of additional Blackhawks, Chinooks and Apaches, as well as retrofitting existing aircraft with new technology. The Army wants much of the aircraft in it's inventory to be brought up to the cockpit technology standards currently used by US Army Special Operations Aviation.
Additionally, as the Reserve and NG component are being used to a far greater extent, the OH-58's and UH-1 aircraft that are in use there will be retired and UH-60's will be pushed down to those units at a faster rate, so that air crews and other users in those units can be deployed without a large amount of additional training.
As a taxpayer, I think they made a fairly wise and frugal decision and I'm glad they made it. You don't go throwing an additonal $31.4 Billion dollars into a single model of aircraft when you have a mix of less expensive existing technology that can be used to accomplish the same mission for far fewer dollars. Especially when you have an increased operations tempo which creates a requirement to provide maintenance, replacements and upgrades to the existing aircraft base worth more than $100 Billion dollars.
