Posted on 12/26/2023 8:06:34 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
The United States has reportedly denied a request by Israel to acquire a new batch of Apache attack helicopters. The request from Israel comes days after Ukraine made a similar appeal for the lethal choppers.
The request for Apaches was reportedly made in recent weeks and re-emphasized by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israel earlier this month, local Israeli media has reported. However, the reports fell short of specifying when the request was first made.
Citing security sources, the reports stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has requested Apache attack helicopters from the United States but has been denied so far. There are currently two helicopter flight squadrons in the Israeli army. “The helicopters are required to enhance (the military’s) aerial operations,” the report noted.
Although some reports have observed that the Pentagon has categorically denied the Israeli request, some others say that a decision on the final acquisition has not been made. There was no official word from either side at the time of writing this report, and EurAsian Times could not independently corroborate these claims.
The report, however, confirms the popularity of this attack helicopter decades after it first made its combat debut. In a demand for military aid made earlier this month, Ukraine sprung a surprise by asking for big-ticket armaments like the Apache helicopters, among other things.
(Excerpt) Read more at eurasiantimes.com ...
I live in the town where these choppers are assembled and often see them flying around the area on test flights. I must say, knowing what these babies can do, it’s a little unnerving to see even a presumably unarmed one flying straight toward you as you’re driving down the road. If I were their target, it would be the last thing I’d ever see.
I don’t know why they won’t give the Apaches to the Israelis. America is being totally crushed by a huge foreign invasion and we haven’t fired one Hellfire at the enemy. We sure as hell don’t need the Apaches anymore. About all we need to fight off this invasion is more boxes of Huggies and a bunch of bolt cutters to remove the concertina wire put in by Texans.
I'll give them to Ukraine too. But Israel gets the first priority.
Yup. The Israelis already know how to fly and fight with them.
It's bad PR if the Israelis are using Apaches to eliminate Hamas Terrorists in Gaza. Joe Biden wants the Israelis to be more "discreet" when they're taking out the trash.
How many were left behind in Afghanistan
Imagine AH-64’s patrolling the American border. American DEFENSE is the mission of such an incredible helicopter. That truth seems to be lost by the Fedgov overlords. Imagine an army of 8000 heading to the Southern Border. Where’s Pershing?
I don’t see any Apache Helicopters. 😁
I forgot what we were talking about.
Same here.
“How many were left behind in Afghanistan?”
None, per the published lists.
You can do that with much cheaper surveillance helicopters, or, these days, drones.
Apaches are very expensive to operate.
There is this weird idea about that you are facing a tank army on the Mexican border. You arent, and it will never be one. This all is a matter for border guards, policemen, not an actual army.
“I don’t know why they won’t give the Apaches to the Israelis.”
Because up to the recent time, Biden has been burning the candle at both ends. He is expected to support Israel, but he doesn’t want to be the villain to Iran and China. He feels it could escalate the aggression. Weelll, maybe it needs to be. Tack that on to the anti-Jewish sentiment in the federal government and you have a two angled sword. He won’t support Israel because he doesn’t want to and with the conservatives finally digging in their heals, he can’t support the Ukraine. Stuck in the middle again, eh ragtime cowboy Joe? I hate to inform him that if he waits to long to do the things needed to get his funding, the candle will burn to the middle and his ass will be on fire. He normally does this like in Afghanistan.
wy69
Apaches are extremely expensive and the Army doesn’t have an overabundance. Hamas doesn’t have tanks. Cobras are probably sufficient against a buncha evil twits like Hamas.
Oddly enough, I wouldn’t recommend any of those in the Gaza fight. One thing Western choppers do not have is great armor. The Apache is only proof against .50BMG over all and 23mm in the rotor and engine areas. It was never designed or intended to get extremely up close and personal in urban or jungle warfare, the former of which is what is going on in Gaza.
Russian helis are actually intended to do just that. Many are completely rated against 23mm or higher calibers and are proof against one or more SAMs - there are battlefield videos of them eating direct hits from SAMs and continuing to fly and fight just fine. Something like a late mark Hind would probably be ideal - it is low maintenance, heavily armored, can carry a small detachment of troops for quick insert or evac, is extremely heavily armed and is cheap on the world market. The damn things are used for extremely close air support - as in, ‘ground troops should stay low and not stick their heads up lest the gunship’s missile hardpoints take their head off’ level of close air support, sucking up all kinds of gun and missile fire and continuing to work just fine.
To wit, this isn’t entirely a stunt - this is how low these things operate in CAS by doctrine. They are routinely flown *below* rooftop height in the CAS role and are built to survive that use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdalI9GzlXY
Here’s an action/propaganda puff piece video that was posted - but you can still get valid information from it. Notice how low they’re routinely operating and even the fact the things can do indirect fire to support troops on the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhrFUMW0s5E
The Apache is worlds better at killing tanks - but Hamas has no tanks. The Hind is built for the kind of fight Israel is seeing in Gaza.
Actually what we need to fight of this illegal alien invasion is a million claymores.
-fJRoberts-
One of my roommates years ago was a test pilot for the Apache.
I worked for an Israeli defense firm for several years. All the Israelis were former IDF in some capacity. I learned a lot about the Israeli mindset. In a word, they’re “acquisitive.” They collect things that might either add to their power or, by collecting it themselves, subtract from the power of rivals. I’ll bet everyone in a position to do so is working hard to increase the amount of “stuff” they have under their command. It doesn’t matter whether that stuff is needed by their command for the current conflict. If an admiral could use this crisis to get another ship, or missiles for the ships he has whether they’d be useful or not, he’ll do it.
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