Comments by "Gort" (@gort8203) on "Lockheed’s attack helicopter that almost changed Vietnam - AH-56 Cheyenne" video.

If I had a dollar for every video claiming an aircraft should not have been cancelled I could have my own helicopter. The Cheyenne faced as much competition from the A-10 as it did from the Cobra. The problem with the Cheyenne was not just developmental issues and cost, but that fact that it was seen as encroaching into the roles of fixed-wing ground attack aircraft. The Cobra was a genius move by Bell and was so cost-effective that it is still flying today. The A-10 was simpler and less expensive than the Cheyenne, and the 30mm gun gave its proponents room to claim is was the more cost-effective solution to the Fulda Gap problem. The AH-64 that came along later did not overreach and try to take roles and budget away from fixed-wing aircraft, which is why it got the green light.
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You're right, that USAF was against the Cheyenne, but it was not silly. The helicopter was planned to have performance close to a fixed wing aircraft and would encroach on the roles of fixed wing aircraft. At the same time the Air Force was developing the A-10 to support the Army in those roles. The proper use of aircraft on the battlefield can be argued about all day, and was a conflict within the Army long before the Air Force became a separate service. In this case the Cheyenne was going take food out of the USAF rice bowl, and the rice supply was limited by Congress.
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@JeffreyJoseph-g3g The A-10 is too slow to survive over the modern battlefield, and a slower helicopter is even less survivable if employed in the same way. But attack helicopters should not be employed in roles more suited to fixed wing aircraft. Firing from positions of cover is a good example of how they operate in different ways than fixed-wing. A helicopter is more like a high speed ground unit that brings support to critical points on the battlefield by responding quickly and then sorting and engaging its own targets with direct fire. Fixed wing is more like indirect artillery fire that is called in on specific targets by an observer. To many the Cheyenne looked like an attempt by the Army to cross the line into fixed wing capability.
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