First two Boeing AH-64E Guardian delivered to Wattisham

[Gravelbelly]

Sssh the UK 'D' was a massively over priced piece of crap
There was never any issue arising from having an all D rather than C / D mix - nor did the UK specific mods produce any advantages over the basic US model.

It was all just a big rip off work generating scheme.

...didn't the bigger engines meaning they coped better in Afghanistan? And wasn't there some insistence that the UK-fit DASS was significantly better (or rather, that the original US equipment wasn't up to much)?

 

[Lindermyer]

...didn't the bigger engines meaning they coped better in Afghanistan? And wasn't there some insistence that the UK-fit DASS was significantly better (or rather, that the original US equipment wasn't up to much)?

But But But acknowledging that means you dont get to make snide remarks viz Wastelands and British engineering and UK procurement.

 

[PhotEx]

...didn't the bigger engines meaning they coped better in Afghanistan? And wasn't there some insistence that the UK-fit DASS was significantly better (or rather, that the original US equipment wasn't up to much)?

akas, being very bespoke, ie, only we fitted them, the Americans quickly upped the power of their engines, and the DASS was too expensive to update, and quickly dropped off the pace.
See Wasteland quoting double to update our existing ones vs Boeing’s brand new common baseline ones.

 

[Resasi]

Now, are the British Army getting Shadow and Grey Eagle UAVs?

Doubt it, however this could be teamed with UK Reapers and Guardian.

I did watched some initial tests being conducted of Watchkeeper in W Wales. A tad under-impressed with what I saw of that.

Who knows with Taranis.

Desert Hawk, too limited range.

This was another informative vid.

 

[Cold_Collation]

akas, being very bespoke, ie, only we fitted them, the Americans quickly upped the power of their engines, and the DASS was too expensive to update, and quickly dropped off the pace.
See Wasteland quoting double to update our existing ones vs Boeing’s brand new common baseline ones.

Oh, be quiet.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Doubt it, however this could be teamed with UK Reapers and Guardian.

I did watched some initial tests being conducted of Watchkeeper in W Wales. A tad under-impressed with what I saw of that.

Who knows with Taranis.

Desert Hawk, too limited range.

This was another informative vid.

So, no then? A capability we've bought that we can't use.

Good.

 

[Harry Skinters]

Oh, be quiet.

I hover over the Ignore button constantly as he's so depressing in a forever glass half empty fashion.
Dispensing insider knowledge gleaned from reading the Admirals desk upside down as he brings him a hot wet of an afternoon.
Also he's not even English by ****.
Ultimately I do have a chuckle about the Merch cabin boy lecturing SME's about their own subject and wonder what the motivation is.

 

[Resasi]

Very interesting. Now, are the British Army getting Shadow and Grey Eagle UAVs?

Was your question.

Doubt it, however this could be teamed with UK Reapers and Guardian.

Was the response.

So...

So, no then? A capability we've bought that we can't use.

...it isn’t necessarily a capability that cannot be used with drones already possessed.

 

[Gravelbelly]

akas, being very bespoke, ie, only we fitted them, the Americans quickly upped the power of their engines, and the DASS was too expensive to update, and quickly dropped off the pace.

Really? That will be why the US Army was dismounting the Longbow radar from their AH-64D in Afghanistan, in order to save weight, whereas the British Army didn't have to? Please, do explain how the US aircraft have caught up with the RTM-322. And as for "very bespoke", remind us what engines are fitted to the Merlin helicopter?

Regarding the DASS, here's the brochure for the UK fit. Now, consider that when Kuwait and Singapore ordered the AH-64D, they specified the Leonardo HIDAS and not the US standard. I wonder why? And when Boeing started rolling out the AH-64E, guess who won the contract to provide the DASS for all our AH-64E? Whose system is built into every single AH-64E, regardless of end-user? Go on, guess...

I'm reassured that you're operating at your normal level of (in)comprehension.

The update for the US-Army's AH-64 was the AH-64E; I'd suggest that fifteen years is hardly "quick". And as for your insistence that Westlands are somehow unique in their pricing structure, you might not like what the US DoD turned up:

Leaked Audit: Boeing Overcharged Army Up to 177,000 Percent on Helicopter Spare Parts

$644.75 for a small gear smaller than a dime that sells for $12.51: more than a 5,100 percent increase in price. $1,678.61 for another tiny part, also smaller than a dime, that could have been bought within DoD for $7.71: a 21,000 percent increase. $71.01 for a straight, thin ...

www.pogo.org

 

[Ritch]

Really? That will be why the US Army was dismounting the Longbow radar from their AH-64D in Afghanistan, in order to save weight, whereas the British Army didn't have to? Please, do explain how the US aircraft have caught up with the RTM-322. And as for "very bespoke", remind us what engines are fitted to the Merlin helicopter?

Regarding the DASS, here's the brochure for the UK fit. Now, consider that when Kuwait and Singapore ordered the AH-64D, they specified the HIDAS and not the US standard. I wonder why? And when Boeing started rolling out the AH-64E, guess who won the contract to provide the DASS for all our AH-64E? Go on, guess...

I'm reassured that you're operating at your normal level of (in)comprehension.

The update for the US-Army's AH-64 was the AH-64E; I'd suggest that fifteen years is hardly "quick". And as for your insistence that Westlands are somehow unique in their pricing structure, you might not like what the US DoD turned up:

Leaked Audit: Boeing Overcharged Army Up to 177,000 Percent on Helicopter Spare Parts

$644.75 for a small gear smaller than a dime that sells for $12.51: more than a 5,100 percent increase in price. $1,678.61 for another tiny part, also smaller than a dime, that could have been bought within DoD for $7.71: a 21,000 percent increase. $71.01 for a straight, thin ...

www.pogo.org

I've read a few books now either by or interviewing UK Apache pilots in depth and even I can say that the WAH-64-D was superior to the US Apache in Afghanistan.

Meerkatz will no doubt insist the Apache pilots are all wrong and talking bollocks.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

... Apache pilots are all...talking bollocks.

Well...