I think the drone boat won that engagement.
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Cobra!
In the mean time I saw this one today, some Apache drivers very gently taking out a bridge. Lots of civilian traffic for some reason LOL!
I understand that the AH-64 has more function and appeal but I’m still a little grumpy that they teased that the Cobra and Hind would be coming a few years back. Not frustrated with what we got/ are getting, just got amped for the Cobra lol
My problem is… I want both the army variants and the marine ones.
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Wouldn’t a Super (Harrier) Carrier with Cobras be just the stuff?!
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I’d rather have a cobra instead of the apache as well (maybe not instead of, but I’d prefer the cobra)
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Hmm. I’m surprisingly ambivalent about it.
The Cobra, depending on the variant, would be a nice addition to the Cold War era. TOW missiles would be good fun. Quicker to learn, I assume - it’s just a skinny Huey, isn’t it? Less switchology, more stick and rudder…eh, more cyclic and counter-torque foot pedals…something.
Then again, in most DCS MP scenarios you’ll run to the same issues as the normal Huey…no RWR, poor area effect of the rockets and so on.
The Apache will be much more effective and on par with (well, presumably better than) the Ka-50. Sure, the Mi-28 would be a more direct counterpart than a prototype sniper helo, but you know what I mean - both bring a big loadout of reasonably long range anti-tank missiles.
I like the idea of the Apache Longbow. Time will tell if I like the reality of the Apache Longbow. There’s a chance it is too technical for my liking.
So I guess in simple terms, I’m happy with either - if it’s the Cobra, we have a pretty good cold war tit-for-tat helo setup with Cobras and Hueys on the Freedom side and Hips and Hinds on the People’s side.
If it’s the Apache, we get a western counterpart for the Ka-50 (in gameplay terms) and it’ll be a lot more effective in knocking out air defenses deep inside enemy territory, in good old “first night of gulf war” fashion.
It sounds like it’ll be the Apache. I’m okay with it. I didn’t expect it to be so soon, I thought it was years away.
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Because the USMC is too special to buy the Apache like everyone else! 
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I thought it would be a similar case as the A-4 Skyhawk: other branch (Navy) moves to bigger and better airframe (A-7), Marines prefer the old frame that is lighter in weight and maintenance and keep using upgraded versions (A-4M) of old frame.
But I looked it up, and the AH-1Z weighs 5580 kg empty, while the AH-64E weighs only 5165 kg empty. So the AH-1 is definitely not lighter than the Apache
So I guess parts commonality with their Hueys is the only justifiable reason why.
Here’s a video of the pair in action:
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Gosh, that front Gunner cockpit is even smaller than I imagined…
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Marines make do…
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And training, perhaps?
And the fact that it has a compartment for crayons… 
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Now I know what to do if caught in a battle zone: hide in a port-a-john! 
Pretty much both according to the wiki:
In 1996, the USMC launched the H-1 upgrade program by signing a contract with Bell Helicopter for upgrading 180 AH-1Ws into AH-1Zs and upgrading 100 UH-1Ns into UH-1Ys.[5][6] The H-1 program created completely modernized attack and utility helicopters with considerable design commonality to reduce operating costs. The AH-1Z and UH-1Y share a common tailboom, engines, rotor system, drivetrain, avionics architecture, software, controls and displays for over 84% identical components.[7]
Of course new build airframes have been added, and now other countries have taken an interest in procuring these models as well.
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If I’d been Congress, I would have told them to buy Blackhawks and Apaches, and have commonality with big Army.
That is of course the incentive that the MoD has, and we see it with the F-35. But in the limited space on LHAs, the Army doesn’t really matter, is the USMC perspective I guess.
France does something like this. They don’t have a Marine Corps but use Army Aviation (Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre, ALAT) helicopters on Navy (Marine) helicopter carriers.
Bearing in mind what thread we’re in, you can see a Gazelle take off here in the first seconds:
Also of course they do interoperability exercises with the US Navy, just like with their aircraft carriers. An SH-60 is featured shortly later in the video.
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Getting those in a state where the marine corps wouldn’t trash them in a week would cost billions and end up way inferior machines.
Nothing against the Army. (I didn’t serve so Love To All). But I trust the Marines to do what’s best for the Marines. Plus (and I totally acknowledge how stupid this is) I don’t like the aesthetic of wheels on helicopters.
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I agree! Helis should have skids, just because they can!
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A point to remember is the USMC budget is part of the Navy’s. Anything that is giving money to an Army project is taking money away from the Navy, not gonna happen.
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