Assuming Comanche money really stays in Army Aviation (yeah, right), I'd expect
them to look for off-the-shelf twin-engined helicopters rather than fresh
starts.

The Agusta Westland A129 is a dedicated attack helicopter already integrated
with Comanche T800 engines, but I suspect the end cost of a Mongoose with US
systems would be up there with the Tiger. If they're going to go that route,
they should buy the damn Comanche.

It is possible for one helicopter to do both the light attack and light utility
missions. The question is how light is "light," and how much you want to go
offshore. If the Army doesn't care about the US industrial base (The Coast
Guard doesn't.), there are lots of foreign candidates.

Great as it is, I think the single-engined MD600/MH-6 Little Bird is too small
for a lot of Guard missions. In addition to RAID anti-drug patrols, the guard
has to move emergency response teams, and it will probably need secondary
medevac capability - that means you need a good-sized cabin.

With that in mind, the MDHI MD900 would be a good light utility helicopter, and
one made largely in the US (albeit by a Dutch-owned company). NOTAR works
fine; it just wasn't right for the 160th.

The Bell 427 is a possibility, but it's uncomfortably close to the OH-58D and
probably too light and confining for the Guard requirement.

The Agusta-Westland navel Super Lynx is already powered by Comanche T800s, and
a Battlefield Lynx derivative with those engines and a domestic equipment suite
could fill the bill.

The A109 is used for attack and utility missions, but a re-engined version
again seems expensive for what you'd get.

LTV once offered a T800-powered Dauphin as the Panther. That would give you a
pretty expensive French helicopter that could probably do the job. But, again,
it's French.

Sikorsky pitched an AUH-76 long ago and got nowhere. I suspect the Army would
like something smaller, more crashworthy and cheaper to operate.

Likewise, the Bell 412 is old technology and brings with it high operating
costs for what you'd get.

The Agusta Bell AB139 and Bell UH-1Y I think are just too big and too close to
the Black Hawk. I don't think there would be much incentive to buy either one.


So, my choice would be the MD900, at least for the light utility requirement.
You could hang the Little Bird weapons on it to make do with an armed scout of
sorts.

Bear in mind, the Comanche started out filling these same requirements with two
versions. Look at how well the Army handled that.

Frank