[goldstategop]

The newest $600 Hammmer Bump

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[A.A. Cunningham]

Additional comments on yesterday's thread:

AP IMPACT: New Army chopper overheats (among other problems)

and the one from August

Eurocopter chopper has serious problems, Pentagon testers say

[TLI]

cockpit temperatures in the UH-72A Lakota soared above 104, the point at which the Army says the communication, navigation and flight control systems can overheat and shut down.

Great. The damn thing would not even start up here in Texas. And that is sitting in the shade.

[TLI]

[samtheman]

European-designed helicopters for homeland security

And there's a flaw?

[elephantlips]

Probably made by a Jimmy Carter owned company.

[VOA]

During flight tests in Southern California in mild, 80-degree weather,
cockpit temperatures in the UH-72A Lakota soared above 104, the
point at which the Army says the communication, navigation
and flight control systems can overheat and shut down.

Reminds me of a "crazy" car dealer's commercials in Edmondton, AB
decades ago.
During one of his funny tirades, he with a compact car and yells
"People say you can't get air conditioning in a compact. That
just ain't so."
He picks up a baseball bat and bashes in the windshield.

I suspect that's not an option on the Lakota!

[Red6]

This design has been around for about seven years. It is based on an older helicopter that has been around for 27 years. It fills the niche of the light transport very well with some of it’s features (enormous interior space for it’s weight and size and with rear access) and it does so at an incredible cost.

Invest our money not reinventing the wheel, but where we need the technology and budget to develop and procure systems that will make a difference, i.e. missile defense, FCS, F22, JSF, submarine upgrades, F18SH upgrades, etc. This machine will not see combat, it’s an economical taxi cab that is in initial procurement, operational hour and cost per pound per mile moved cheaper than the UH60 that currently fills these roles in the National Guard and Homeland Security. Think about this - we’re using a 4000HP with 13000 pound lift machine to move a VIP from point A to B. We need those UH60s in Iraq and Afghanistan where we are rapidly putting thousands of hours on airframes and we have them tied up in the US carrying a governor, a single sick dude with a paramedic. What alternatives do you suggest? A Bell 206L or 412?

Cost effective, available near immediately, low risk and highly capable (within its niche), this platform was a good buy. -IMHO

[killerw]

Why don’t we just give’em to Iran?