When Lu stated that the US Army lied......he was being truthful in a non subtle sense. But, he is correct! To think that we were so protected from ZSU's, RPG's, ( even US Stinger's) and a load of 'off the shelf ' weaponary is ignorant and stupid. From Vietnam to Somalia and the rest since! The Army knows the vulnerability of the AH64 and every other machine that would be involved in the fight, but there is no sense in training pilots to constantly think of their equipments weakness. They'd be too scared to go to battle and understandably so. But, they are designed as a tool to prosecute a war or battle as the politicians see fit. I think Lu was touching on the morality of design and how much is really understood by the operators (Commanders, Pilots) as oppossed to inflammatory remarks!! The key to utilization and survivability of these machines is how they are tactically employed on the Battle field. Keep in mind that there are no FLOT's or FEBA's to adhere to, and that the conflict in Iraq is urban and unsuitable for Heli's for the most part! They still carry massive ordinance and can do damage....but to what effect strategically??
At the risk of having the T/R shot off or pilots killed by an AK47?
This war can only be won by the boot on the ground! At least in the urban area's of Iraq.......................and thats a whole lot of realestate for even the US Army to patrol and secure!
