I'm know I'm dating myself with this question, but nevertheless, it is an honest question.
Even if we disregard the operating/acquisition costs question (which I agree, we really can't). have things changed in the helicopter recce game to the degree that a man down in the weeds with his head out the open door of Sperm or a Kiowa has been replaced by someone cocooned in an airconditioned cabin of a Tiger? I know the electronic gizmos of today are a quantum leap from what was available 30 years ago, but I really wonder if they'll ever completely replace a set of eyes with day to day knowledge of the ground.