"Peter Gottlieb" wrote in message . net...
"Kevin Brooks" wrote in message
om...

True, but which would you choose--an aircraft that remains within the
primary engagement envelope of *most* of the threat AAW systems
throughout the entire (slow) flight profile, or one that can operate
above it if necessary and flies substantially faster to boot?


I just hope they make it robust enough. Let them prove me wrong, but so far
I don't have a good feeling about how complex it is.

The CH-46 is complex. The CH-47 is complex. Even the UH-60 is rather
complex. Heck, all modern multi-engine helos are complex, as are most
of the single engine new aircraft. If by robust you mean
bulletproof--no, it will not acheive that, but neither will any other
airframe. But I believe its survivability will be enhanced by its
ability to fly faster/higher, and I would guess that its climb rate
will be another survivability advantage versus a lot of AAW threats.

Brooks