UK, Australia with earlier attack helicopters

This thread is inspired by my trip to the Avbiation heritage Centre in Darwin where there was a Cobra gunship on display on loan from the US Army Pacific Museum Hawaii- which of course was never used by the Australian Defence Force, as the ADF has only recently purcheased the Eurocopter Tiger as attack helicopter, while only since 2003/04 or thereabouts did the British army manufacture & use the WAH-64 Apache as their attack chopper. Now, WI both the UK & Australia had acquired & utilised attack helicopters much sooner, say back in the 1970s/80s instead ?
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Now, WI both the UK & Australia had acquired & utilised attack helicopters much sooner, say back in the 1970s/80s instead ?

I don't see much difference. You'd need a PoD, probably something concerning their experience with helicopter gunships in Phuoc Tuy province in South Vietnam.

Perhaps they could've deployed to East Timor with the peacekeeping force, which may have helped settle that down. There may have even been operational use there.
The same could be said of Afghanistan.

All that time would do was give a chance to build a cohesive bit of doctrine around their use, and probably give us a guess at what would be missing since they're in there.
Australia's got a tight military budget, but I'm sure you know that better than me. You add something to the Australian military, you take something away. And combat helicopters are expensive toys.

Though if they were acquired because of use in Vietnam and experience in Malaysia, then there would be a logical reason for the Army to fight for their inclusion in the military.
 
This thread is inspired by my trip to the Avbiation heritage Centre in Darwin where there was a Cobra gunship on display on loan from the US Army Pacific Museum Hawaii- which of course was never used by the Australian Defence Force, as the ADF has only recently purcheased the Eurocopter Tiger as attack helicopter, while only since 2003/04 or thereabouts did the British army manufacture & use the WAH-64 Apache as their attack chopper. Now, WI both the UK & Australia had acquired & utilised attack helicopters much sooner, say back in the 1970s/80s instead ?
Depending on how ou define attack helicopter you could argue both had opperated 'em prior to that (UK: Lynx armed with ATGMs, Australia: rocket and MG armed gunship versions of the Huey).
 
Depending on how ou define attack helicopter you could argue both had opperated 'em prior to that (UK: Lynx armed with ATGMs, Australia: rocket and MG armed gunship versions of the Huey).

of course, mate- that was No. 9 'Bushranger' Sqn with their specialised gunship Hueys in Vietnam; my definition of attack helicopter was lookin at the purpose-built gunships such as the Cobra, Apache, Tiger etc
 
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