There is no doubt that there are many wise words written here. I spent over 20 years developing tactics for FJ to attack helos. I also flew on and lectured at a number of QHTI courses. There is no doubt that Helo Attack can be a very difficult task when flown against a small, camouflaged, very low and well flown aircraft. The deficiencies of High PRF radars against such targets are well known. Modern fighters should not have the same limitations against very low/slow targets.
The advent of Link 16 made a significant difference to the FJ capability when utilised correctly. An E3 Link picture could enhance this capability.
The F3OEU developed and used pairs tactics at night using NVGs, Link16 and ASRAAM. With all players "Lights Out" the balance swung in favour of the FJ. The ASRAAM could be used as a poor mans IRST and used to compliment the radar. Again, modern fighters with IRST and sensor fusion many of the old limitations have been removed.
The difficulty was that to be safe and proficient required Above Average skills AND a large allocation of time for currency. HQ 1Gp decided that the cost and time required for CR crews to be proficient were not worth the threat assessment.
Be there no doubt for rotary guys that the threat may not be a Hawk day VMC. The latest technology is available to most countries. If a rotary is deemed to be a high value target then it has a high risk of being detected and engaged in many theatres throughout the world.
Last edited by Dominator2; 13th Apr 2015 at 11:58.