“The Pentagon has spent $6.9 billion on the RAH-66 Comanche, an armed reconnaissance and light attack helicopter, since it began development in 1983. More than two decades later, it has only two of the helicopters, officials said.”
What a shame, I love military aircraft and it’s a shame it won’t be built.
I played an old Win 3.1 game…Gunship 2000 or something from about 8 or 9 years ago that featured that helicopter in perfect 256 color. Good times 
I don’t think the Comanche was all that practical. It looked cool as hell…
I just don’t see how it would fit in that well. We have robotic un-manned aircrafts that do reconn already, and the Apache is such a badass helicopter that the Comanche’s strike capabilities aren’t that vital to the Army. Sure it was kinda stealthy, but as cool as it was, it still wasn’t all that practical.
On a side note, the OCC chopper they made to commemorate the Comanche was awesome!
i saw this and was a bit mad. its soooo cool
I too have wasted countless hours on flight sims. Though I thought Gunship2000 was an Apache, I am sure it was on Amiga500 by Microprose.
I still remember the opening scene.
I wonder if the whole $6.9 billion went towards the project or if some of it was used on black projects.
20 years + $6.9 billion = 2 helicopters ?
Ok they were working on 5 more at the moment, and factories and fabrication lines cost money, but that much……
I found a picture of the bike. This one is perhaps the best to show the overall view. Check out the web site for other bikes and close ups on the Comanche bike (American Chopper).
Most of the money went towards the technology that was supposed to be behind the Comanche, Vulcan.
CNN reports said that they only paid 2 billion of the 10 billion - that’s why they cancelled it - to save money. They said they needed money for, as I’ll put in lay-man’s terms, “stuff that actually works.”
(shrugs) … I dunno
Gunship 2000 had an Apache, Apache Longbow, Blackhawk, Commanche, Huey, and a few more which I can’t remember at this moment 
Sure it was kinda stealthy, but as cool as it was, it still wasn’t all that practical.
No amount of upgrades are going to bring the Longbow up to the Comanche standard.
But automated is the way to go, especially if they are going to be shredded like the Apaches were in Iraq……
I use to play Jane’s Apache Longbow with enemy AI set to max, it would take me 3 hours to fly one mission. I would crawl along like a snail always hidden. If you tried it cowboy style you would be shot down in a heart beat.
Makes you wonder who came up with the tactics in Iraq.
Can you imagine a swam of 5000 Comanche’s coming at you?
That’s how many they originally ordered.
*Originally posted by The_Vulcan *
20 years + $6.9 billion = 2 helicopters ?
I think they meant they only have 2 left, but I could be wrong.
I’m watching American Chopper right now. 
$39 billion Comanche helicopter program canned
$6.9 billion spent on the RAH-66 Comanche
$14.6 billion will be used to buy 800 other aircraft, upgrade 1,400 existing helicopters and accelerate work on unmanned aerial vehicles.
$14.6 billion into other aircraft through 2011, including Black Hawk helicopters
$6.9 billion is a HELL of a lot of money
f-22 contract on 1991 $69 billion
$20 billion spent on development phase
The F-22 starts out as a 30 tone slab of titanium, they cut the airframe out as one piece so as to avoid welds…… Got to love it.
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