Nurse, please don't get carried away with the thought that an Apache could/would have prevented the Chinook getting shot up back in 2003. The myth of Apache invincibility / aura of striking fear into anything that moves that was generated by Gulf War 1 (and perpetuated by McD Douglas) has long gone. It started waning in Kosovo when, under the heavy glare of the media, Apaches were sent to Albania as a "message" to Serbian troops in Kosovo; the Serbs didn't surrender, particularly after they started crashing all over Albania during trg sorties. Witness how "reluctant" the Taleban/AQ/ACF have been to engage Apaches / Cobras during OEF & OIF. For many of them it is a badge of pride to take on an attack helo, probably akin to driving a car of full of C4 into a checkpoint. While I fully agree that having an AH running shotgun is a damn good thing to have, it must be realised that it will not prevent you being engaged-just lessen the chances of you being brought down as (hopefully) the ambushees will receive swift justice in the form of a 30mm burst once they initiate an engagement. The publicity hype from the early 1990s has gone, AH is just another (albeit powerful & flexible) tool in the box and must be planned and used accordingly.