Attack helicopters are the next big item on the wish list now that the western tanks have been supplied.
Russian helicopters have been decimated because they can't operate reliably at night. Giving Ukraine an all weather day/night capability to engage Russian positions at long (tactical) ranges will make a huge impact. Apache D, some early S/A hellfires and a bunch of rockets, there's loads of them around there's little to be lost if one was captured.
If there's one Russian thing I'd suspect isn't absolutely terrible, it's probably their distributed anti-air capabilities.
Yeah I know about those Hind raids the Ukrainians pulled. But they had a corridor open for them. They didn't beat their air defense, they just took advantage of Russian hubris.
I'd rather see ground launched hellfires that use drones to target
this
that's why F-16 deliveries might not be that effective either
Russia has lots of AA
what Ukraine needs primarily is tanks, IFVs, artillery. Zalushny said it himself.
F-16 is better at avoiding AA than helicopters because it flies much faster. What Ukraine doesn't have is safe airports to operate high performance aircraft from, so they're using highway runways and camouflaged parking spots. STOL jets would be more useful.
a couple F-16 likely would still get fricked by the plethora of S-300/Tor/S-400/Buk/Pantsir the Russians have
only a massive SEAD/DEAD attack with cruise missiles and all that good shit could probably reliably and lastingly overcome that, and Ukies aren't getting that capability unless NATO decides to intervene directly
but idk, maybe I'm wrong and a few fighters would help too
Lol Israel shits all over Syrian S300s with F15s and F16s
are they? They got F-35 now and didn't the Syrians only get S-300 recently? Russians aren't engaging the Israelis.
all syrian s300s were operated by the russians, and they dont even turn them on, theyre just there as a deterrent. vatnik posturing
Ukraine already operates fighter aircraft. Just because they can’t zerg them freely around doesn’t mean they’re useless.
F-16s are still the main SEAD aircraft for the USAF. Practically purpose built for frickin on Russian AA.
OP here again I just want to mention that I am trans. Not sure if it matters but w/e
Oh, anon, you and your trannies. He never shuts up about them.
helicopters are a high-skill vehicle that needs a highly trained pilot that needs to fly missions with careful risk management to avoid being just wasted by basic b***h manpads.
Good luck bruh
Expensive, hard to learn, easy to counter... Next idea
Build your own helicopters you fricking gypsy.
far too complicated to train UA pilots quickly, anon
Apache pilots can more or less read two books at once with their independent eyeballs
if anything, Hueys and Little Bird gunships, or missile-armed Lynx, Gazelle, Puma, etc are far more likely. anything that can mount APKWS and Hellfires would be a boost.
armed prop planes?
Helicopters can hover so low they literally scrape the ground or treetops every now and then. That fricks with SAM tracking nd LOS AAA like you wouldn't believe.
Prop planes would be murder... for the pilot.
>ywn go on a barnstorming nap of the earth SEAD mission in a T-6
why even live?
This. Especially the longbow with its fancy radar which might as well be a wunderwaffe compared to what Vatniks have. All it has to do is stay below the treetops and BTFO vatnik tanks with hellfires 8km away at night. There’s literally no counter to it.
>far too complicated to train UA pilots quickly, anon
>Apache pilots can more or less read two books at once with their independent eyeballs
FWIW: There are unconfirmed reports that four apaches are going with the challengers.
It's only been reported by a tabloid so it's highly non-credible so far.
>refurbished and upgraded hinds
Hinds never look exactly peaceful but that's a pretty intimidating mf
>Little Birds
>Kiowas
Hilarious if Eurocopter Tigers are next
Has Italy sent anything? I can see a Mangusta for Apache swap
Turkey has their own attack helos too
Italy doesn't want Apaches, they're working on their own new attack helicopter
>doesn't want Apaches
>makes Apaches from home
That's the UK side of Augusta - WESTLAND
AW is a subsidiary of Italy's Leonardo
Not when the Apaches were built, and the facilities where wetland have their staff are still in the UK building wildcat and Merlin amoungst other things.
pretty sure that anon was talking about Italy's attack chopper, not the UK's.
>We have Apaches at home
I like it, it's got an 80s low polygon aesthetic.
Like it's the ground attack chopper of the Talidan fleet.
>there is nothing an apache can do that brimstone missiles already cant do
An Apache probably has better backup utility as a trench clearer but the real advantage versus a HIMARS is that Apache does its own spotting and against a Su-25 is that it's more survivable since their Su-25/27s have to fly like helicopters anyway, using terrain for cover and below radar.
Even though I know it's going to be bullshit, I'll still be a little disappointed when we find out it was just a Tabloid rumour.
Unfortunately, someone at that tabloid is looking at page-views and already planning the next bullshit rumour to bring in the clicks and the eyeballs.
anything??
easier to give them Hinds with thermal upgrades and data link w/ hellfire capabilities
get those refurbished and upgraded ones from South Africa
Des this mean we might get Apache gun cam footage from Ukraine?
...Please?
one more escalation, one step closer to Ukrainian F-16s
Waste of money
Drones armed with laser guided 70mm hydra and hellfires are more useful than 4 apache
You can deliver and train them faster than apaches too
Nobody knows what missions the Apaches are being considered for. Probably best not to make Dunning-Kruger assumptions about them being assigned to only missions that utilize about 1% of their flexibility.
Yeah
How long does it take to train a ukrainian apache pilot and get it up and running in Ukraine?
Now how about predator drones.
You know what apaches fire hellfire and hydra.
You know what you can put on predators? Hellfire and hydra.
de-fund westland + bell
*cha cha*
>apache
>with hellfire missiles
is this the key detail? is the chopper going to be nothing more than a pinpoint accurate missile launcher from a hundred kilometers away?
Obviously, do you think they are going to do attack runs like it's a WW2 plane? The standoff capabilites of the Apache are scary.
This might be another HIMARS moment if they are used well.
right except no apaches are going to ukraine
yet
there is nothing an apache can do that brimstone missiles already cant do.
Try GMLRS and ATACMS. Give those to Ukraine and they'll take Crimea.