8 billion $ Chopper gets sent to the trashpile.

[Turn7]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/2867127/detail.html

It's all OCC's fault. They should of never designed a bike after it.

[Wheel-Nut]

How can the Army bilk the American people out of billions of dollars and get away with it? Someone has to pay!! Now where did I put Wilke's e-mail address??

[devilmaster]

sounds like the eh-101 'cadillac' all over again, except the chopper that it is replacing, the apache, is not 40 to 50 year old airframes.

never mind ;)

Steve

[Ankf00]

it's going to save tens of billions in future costs...

uh, isn't any program cancelled at any point of time in design going to save on future costs?

hey, lets cancel ALL weapons design! that'll balance that budget!!

[Insomniac]

I am glad I didn't take that job in 2000. It's a shame. That was going to be one sweet helicopter.

[cart7]

http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/ver_html/images/bikes/trexsofts/tSoftail03Right.jpg

Obviously I misinterpreted the topic of this thread. ;)

[eiregosod]

any astute viewer of NBC's news earlier would have noticed, before a commercial break, "Pentagon scraps $9bn helicoptor, and then we highight the bankruptcy problems that's affecting American families due to healthcare!

[JT265]

Survival of the fittest Sod! ;)

You wouldn't want some old syphilletic asmatic piloting that bad boy would ya?

:D

[pchall]

How can the Army bilk the American people out of billions of dollars and get away with it?

The same way the Marines did with the V-22 Osprey project -- except they haven't aborted that one yet

[Jag_Warrior]

The same way the Marines did with the V-22 Osprey project -- except they haven't aborted that one yet

And won't. $849 mil - Oh Yeah! (http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040223/ba_arms_osprey_2.html)

It works now. Honest... :)

[Ankf00]

And won't. $849 mil - Oh Yeah! (http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040223/ba_arms_osprey_2.html)

It works now. Honest... :)

bah, Bell Helicopter Textron snobs, who needs 'em

[Jag_Warrior]

:D

Better to ride a bicycle than ride on a Sukorsky. :laugh:

[Racing Truth]

The Pentagon is known for many great things. Thrift, however, is not one of those things.

[Insomniac]

The Pentagon is known for many great things. Thrift, however, is not one of those things.

We should all remember the infamous $500 hammer. And more recently, the unchecked credit cards that employees abused. :)

[Mike Kellner]

Ah, I have to make a few points here.

First, the stories of overpriced items, and credit card abuse were not unearthed by diligent Democrat TV Network Investigative "Journalists", or Congressional staffers. They were discovered by Pentagon fraud investigators, and the chorus of leftist whiners only began their ritual moaning after the wheels of justice were in motion. These events are not standard practice, but rather criminals stealing from the government, and they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law whenever discovered.

Second, Comanche made sense when it was started. It was designed to be the next attack helicoptor. However, since it does not look like we have any chance of facing a well armed superpower in the projected lifespan of that system, it now makes sense to stop the program. There are more advantageous places to spend the money. The money spent is not entirely lost. One of our biggest exports is aircraft, and military research on programs such as Comanche keep our aircraft industry at the leading edge of technology. Remember the first money in a program like that goes into the R&D. The technologies developed are usually applicable over a broad range of projects and vehicles.

OK, enough reality, you may now resume posturing.

mk

[Ankf00]

R&D's always worthwhile, and the appropriations for it are invaluable really, but there's plenty of other defense programs draining $ to which your scenario applies. Do we really need LOSAT missle systems and the like right now? Not to mention all the miniature derivatives of these we keep designing for ourselves and the brits? Not as expensive as new aircraft, but an aggregate of experimental missle systems must cost a pretty penny...

but at least the timing matches up well seeing as production was scheduled for '07, R&D's been taken full advantage of by now hopefully.

[Mike Kellner]

"Do we really need LOSAT missle systems and the like right now? Not to mention all the miniature derivatives of these we keep designing for ourselves and the brits?"

There is a need for constant modernization, or you end up with an obsolete military. The world is full of bad guys. Either we spend the money on systems that let our boys win in a walk, or we end up taking large casualties. That is really the trade off when you decide that the last generation stuff is good enough. It seems to me, that the Pentagon is cutting back on the big ticket items, and spending the money more wisely, on small things that gain a lot of leverage. One airplane project will fund a whole raft of smaller items.

mk

[Insomniac]

I don't see how we would need any more nuclear weapons or begin testing again. I mean, seriously, if we can wipe ouyt the entire world, do you need to make a better nuke? We always need to develop technology, but the pentagon needs to be a little smarter about it. It shouldn't take 20 years to decide a program should be cancelled.

[Insomniac]

Ah, I have to make a few points here.

First, the stories of overpriced items, and credit card abuse were not unearthed by diligent Democrat TV Network Investigative "Journalists", or Congressional staffers. They were discovered by Pentagon fraud investigators, and the chorus of leftist whiners only began their ritual moaning after the wheels of justice were in motion. These events are not standard practice, but rather criminals stealing from the government, and they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law whenever discovered.

How do you really feel about liberals? :)


Second, Comanche made sense when it was started. It was designed to be the next attack helicoptor. However, since it does not look like we have any chance of facing a well armed superpower in the projected lifespan of that system, it now makes sense to stop the program. There are more advantageous places to spend the money. The money spent is not entirely lost. One of our biggest exports is aircraft, and military research on programs such as Comanche keep our aircraft industry at the leading edge of technology. Remember the first money in a program like that goes into the R&D. The technologies developed are usually applicable over a broad range of projects and vehicles.

OK, enough reality, you may now resume posturing.

mk

This isn't completely accurate. A lot of aircraft last well beyond their expected lifespan. And the gov't is always making upgrades on existing equipment. Also, you can't be certain what other counties will have in 20 years or who will be running those countries. During the press conference, they were listing all of the aircraft they're going to upgrade instead of continuing with the Comanche program. I'm sure they had good reason to cancel it, but it was 20 years into the program and they can't upgrade forever. I hope they don't start a new program in 10 years for an attack/reconnaissance helicopter when they decide they need one.

[pchall]

http://www.luft46.com/misc/3bw1003.gif

Okay, my Prussian relatives had this one in development in the 40s. I bet it cost a lot less than American military procurement. :rolleyes: