There is a growing sense that Attack helicopters are becoming less and less necessary, particuarly as conventional aircraft become better and better at close air support,(ie Eurofighter can carry 18 Brimstone, not to mention various other PGM’s)
The Attack helicopters other advantage of being able stay hidden by staying low is also being eroded by stealth technology on fighters and by increasingly advanced ground and air based radar and missile technology.
Even the Attack helicopters ability to provide very close precision air support is being taken by fighters that are now carrying advanced targetting pods, aswell as UAV’s that are providing the Helicopters reconnaisance capability.

Does anybody know what differences there would be between the the F15K and the proposed F15T or is it just the name?

I realy do hate the people in the UK who say that we should cancel part pf the Typhoon order becouse the Typhoon cant perform the roles it needs to on the modern battlefield (ie a2g) when the Typhoon is multirole, in fact very good at A2G

I cant wait to see it with Derby!!!

It realy depends on what sought of EU you want. The problem is that all the EU states want a different one. Europe, and ultimately America needs to realise that the centre of Gravity is shifting east to asia.

Errrr Sferrin, costs for the Raptor are huge, massive in fact. (read the latest AFM, there is a very good article). The US defence budget is under very serious pressure (as is the entire US budget). Do you see a role the Raptor could have performed in any conflict in which the US has taken part realy since the end of the cold war?
I realy like the Raptor and at its Job it is the best around, but it is very very very expensive and its mission is not as important as it once was.