Naval attack helicopters?

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Heorot RE:Naval attack helicopters? 10/26/2003 7:05:32 AM

Royal Navy ships carry Lynx helicopters equipped with Sea Skua attack missiles. The combination is pefect adainst small attack craft as shown in the Falklands and Desert Storm.

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bsl RE:Naval attack helicopters? 10/26/2003 8:07:54 PM

USN ships have carried both Marine Cobra and Army Apache gunships at various times in the past. Notably, during both the first Gulf War and the late Iraq War. My impression is that they were generally staged off larger ships, but they might be carried on any ship equipped to operate ASW helicopters. The problem is that "attack" helicopters, as the term is generally used, are optimized for a different kind of threat environment. In land engagements, they're ready to engage from five miles or less. This is fine against tanks or trucks. It can be a problem at sea, in a hostile environment, where antiair weapons may abound with ranges out to 20, 40, 50 miles or more. And, there is no terrain around to hide behind. Attack helicopters may help when the problem is watching civilian shipping and they may be very useful against attacks by small boats. The kind involved in attacking the Cole, for instance. That's why they been carried, in the past. But, as far as conventional naval threats go, they're the wrong systems.

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Dancing Johnny RE:Naval attack helicopters? 10/28/2003 2:49:18 AM

The role of helicopters on US cruisers/destroyers has normally been as ASW helos. These helos (SH-2F's, now retired, and SH-60B's) are part of an integrated ship/aircraft system called LAMPS (Light Airborn Multi-Purpose System). They are outfitted with some heavy-duty sub hunting equipment, but could be used for survallance. During GW1 we would rip the ASW gear out of our SH-2F, mount a couple of M60's in the doors, and presto-chango we were now combat SAR helos, but we only did that when in the Gulf. Later, some SH-60B's were equiped to fire Peguin anti-ship missiles. To answear you question; No the US Navy dosn't fly attack helos off of small boys (small ships). Thats best left to the Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles.

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