On the subject of the T-90 and related high performance Russian armor, my concern would be whether they could field anywhere near enough of them to make a difference versus the current Western tanks in a real shooting war.
And are the T-80 and T-90 as dangerous to the crews as the T-72 is?
The Mi-28 and Ka-50 are fearsome machines, as are the latest Russki jets, but their problem is one of resources. They've come up with some veicles and systems that may work well enough when it starts, but will there again, be enough to make a difference? Will there be enough of the Mil-28 and Ka-50 to survive all of the Stingers and such? My guess is no.
I seem to remember an issue of the old International Combat Arms magazine in the 80's that was showing a variety of anti-helo aircraft the US was looking at...the Piper Enforcer and Cavalier Mustang 2 included. I believe that the thought that these would be used sort of as the Skyraider was in 'Nam, and sort of to hunt and shoot down Pact helicopters.
I'll tell you this...I think Western gear is generally good enough to fight the Pact to a stalemate in Europe, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to see the Tanguska SPAA at anytime from inside anything airborne. Ever.
-Dave
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