Only about 5 or 6 years younger than Brian
...and yes, both Unctuous and I were there in theatre in Brian's time (pre and post gunship). Only difference is that I've got two vastly different campaign medals and a different Cross to the one Brian wears - and only gave up on flying around 10 months ago. I think that any 9 Sqn type who saw the transition from the American gunship support to our own Bushranger inhouse on-scene fire support would have to say, once again, chalk and cheese. It's best stylized as teamwork. We didn't really have that with the US Army gunships and often they got diverted on more important tasking - or just failed to turn up (and misunderstandings were rife).
MTOW has encapsulated my argument for organic airlift (and fire-) support well. You don't need to secure the LZ's for insertion, because they're easily reconnoiterable and (being sans jungle) multiple choice. Unlike Vietnam you also don't need B52, F/GA, arty or gunship LZ prep -or even door-gun suppression - you just pitch-up unexpected like. If conversely however, you do an A to B via C ground-pound in to any taliban hive of activity, the bad guys can easily cover the likely access routes and ex-base exit routes to those tracks/trails with mines or IED's..... and they have 20 to 30 minutes to get organized. The noise of helos outbound or enroute doesn't give you any useful intell (until it's too late) on where they are going to deposit their troops - or even if there are any diggers onboard (i.e. maybe it's just logistic support).
If you change the game so that insertion to the proximity of the Tactical area of interest is via chopper, then the axis of likely advance to the objective becomes 360 degrees and impossible to cover. Not trying to tell people how to suck eggs but that's as plain as the nose on your face.
I don't see the Bushmaster vehicle as making anybody as impervious to the IED threat as the ubiquitous helo with its pop-up capability and organic light fire-team's firepower. I may be an old codger but I've still got all my marbles. IMHO so does everybody participating in this regional stoush. I just wish they'd start playing sensibly with theirs. It could be a game-changer.
.