Eh - so with Wildcat's exceptional mission systems and optics/laser/Seaspray radar (vs AH's poorer M-TADs/radar)... it's impotent as a recce/target cueing helo? But, oddly, it was fine on Gz with GOA? Seriously??
the RN version is what you are describing, not the AAC version. There is no Seaspray radar and the the 'exceptional' mission system is seriously hampered by the lack of processing power (one was removed to save money and the other barely copes). It doesn't have the endurance of either the Lynx or the Gazelle and it can barely lift the skin off a rice pudding.
I'm not saying the Gaz was better - it was what it was in its day.
The shortcomings of the AH will be addressed in the E-model - we knew we were buying old technology from the US with the original AH but it has still shown its capabilities in anger.
and as for Wildcat, well the Navy just did the same trick to the AAC that the RAF did to them with Harrier.
actually the same trick the RN did to the RAF with Merlin - Navy need a new helo but not enough of them to justify production costs then the RAF get stiffed with the Merlin and the AAC get saddled with the Wildcat. The RAF have managed to dump Merlin back on to the RN as a Sea King replacement though - lets see what the AAC can do
