21st.....
Not trying to run anyone off the forum....but asking questions and getting something other than a straight forward answer does not help the matter. As anyone who has seen the Dragon knows...at some point combat degenerates into a gunfight at close quarters. It does pay to have lots of ammo, guns, and help when that happens.
Every helicopter in our inventory has a pair or more door guns with gunners whose job is throw hate and discontent back at the bad guys. The Osprey has a ramp gun....and now perhaps a belly mounted gun that is operated by remote control using a souped up X-Box and a video monitor.
When I opined that seemed a very poor alternate to the conventional way of door gunning....I was informed by at least two different sources that "tactics" and "procedures" negated the need for guns at all.
Just because I feel that position is a bit optimistic....does not mean I lack respect for those telling me that....but I do question the corporate mentality that would find that to be an appropriate view.
I equated thinking that to "whistling in the dark"....meaning I see it as ignoring reality that there shall be times "tactics and procedures" will fail to safeguard the aircraft and thus the crews.
We should at be honest with ourselves....as much as it scares us to do so....to admit there is some grave risk taking going on when making such assumptions that we can outsmart our enemies all of the time by use of our tactics and procedures.
Harken back to Somalia and the slight hiccup that occurred there when we used those "tactics and procedures" one too many times, did so in the daylight, and were not prepared for the results. A lot of very brave men were wounded and killed as the direct result of that failure by commanders.
The question is what happens when the tactics and procedures go egg shape and the bad guys start popping caps on yer butt and you have nothing but a ramp gun and some sidearms to fight back with?