Quote:
Originally Posted by cawest
how about putting the helos on the deck of cargo ships when they are going between the US and warzones. they could act something to help with airdefense, Sidearms (ARM), and the harpoons and a blast warhead version of the Hellfire. subs do not like helos.
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That's practical only to a limited extent. Normally helos transported by sea are shrink-wrapped (see
this photo) to protect them from the corrosion from the sea spray. The pilots and ground crew normally deploy by air and link up with their aircraft at the pier. Army helicopter pilots are not normally trained on shipboard landing procedures, which in the North Atlantic winter could be quite dicey. (The Canadian Navy developed a system to winch helicopters down onto the landing pad of frigates and destroyers!) The cargo ships are not normally set up to support flight operations (they would ideally need additonal lighting, firefighting, maintenance shops, fuel and oxygen supplies, an ordnance magazine, additional accomodations, fresh water and generators) and leaving room for flight operations and maintenance reduces the ship's carrying capacity. Of course there are workarounds, but
most helicopters being deployed by sea will not be able to be flown along the way.