Pxtl wrote:Did the longbow program get discontinued?
Still alive and well. The Comanche cancellation re-invigorated development of the Apache. It now has more weapons systems and capabilities which are largely unknown. Part of its current round of improvements include SAM (radar and heat) counter measures, which exceed 90%, single missile counter-effectiveness, for all but the latest generation of seekers. Unfortunately, most are still not equipped.
Pxtl wrote:I know the Comanche program got killed
Comanche program was canceled because it was way over budget and no where near delivering on its primary goals.
Pxtl wrote: - rotary-wing attack craft turned out to be kind of a boondoggle for the military, compared to drones and the A-10.
Not sure where you got that impression. The A-10 is in constant threat of cancellation and retirement. In fact, at one point, immediately prior to the first Gulf War, they were being decommissioned en mass. Regardless, the A-10 and Longbow serve very different objectives. Each perform missions which are contrary to the other's primary mission. This has never been more true since urban warfare has take center stage in the last decade. Which, needless to say, is an environment to which the A-10 is extremely poor suited.
As cool as the A-10 weapon system is, there are many missions in which the A-10 can not begin to compete. And as weapon improvements continue to permeate the world's theaters, the clock on the A-10 continues to tick; primarily because of its flight profiles.
The Apache, on the other hand, specifically because it is a rotary wing craft, is capable of flight profiles which are simply impossible for an A-10. Especially given the forests of Europe. As a very real example, when is the last time you heard an A-10 pilot discuss anger at having to evade collision with donkeys or camels.
And its because of this donkey/camel avoidance flight profile which makes many rotary wing craft an extremely difficult target for even modern SAM. The flip side of this flight profile advantage is that the A-10 has a range and speed to which the Apache can simply not hope to compete. Not to mention, A-10s has serious high altitude advantages (e.g. mountainous) which seriously strain an Apache's capabilities and legs. But in desert, forest, urban, and jungle, the Apache has an ominous moniker of "night shark."; well, at least in "Arabic"-languages. And continues to be one of the primary reasons why the US owns the night.
And contrary to what you commonly see in movies of fragile helicopters, Apaches are extremely robust and durable aircraft. Like the A-10, they can withstand considerable punishment. During operations such as
Operation Anaconda, most Apache's came home with multiple holes through their rotors as well as a multitude of holes in their fuselages; including direct hits from enemy AA and large caliber machine guns. Even more noteworthy, several received direct hits from RPGs and were still flown home. One had its FLIR system entirely blown off. Another took a hit to its transmission and lost all fluid over the next ten minutes or so. The one which took a transmission hit was actually landed, under fire, visually inspected, refilled with fluid, and flown home. Of course, while on the ground, other Apache's flew close orbits to provide protection and keep pressure off of them.
Furthermore, contrary to popular myth, the Apache is a superior weapon system to that of the Cobra program. Dramatically superior in fact. But, given that the Cobra serves the Marines, the Cobra is a superior weapons for their needs - which is that of a fast reactionary force. The Apache, while being superior, is a much larger and heavier bird, which consumes much more fuel and more maintenance. For a forward operating, reactionary force, those are all negatives. As such, you can see why the A-10, Cobra, and Apache, are all well suited for their roles and are actually complimentary to each other given their mission profiles.
For every soldier who has pulled convoy duty, you won't find one who has a negative word to say about AH-64's pulling escort duty in slow orbit around that convoy. In fact, convoy's escorted by AH-64s are almost never attacked. This is simply not true with convoy's who are backed by A-10s - again primarily because of their flight profiles and the opportunities afforded to the enemy via gorilla tactices. Where ever Apache's are seen, it is well known for being extremely demoralizing to its enemy; ensuring they always think twice before attacking.
