The proposed new medium-helicopter purchase is described as 23 aircraft replacing roughly twice that number. The criticism concerns the amount of political argument over such a small order while Britain talks about a wartime footing. Better individual performance still leaves each helicopter able to occupy one place and lift one load at a time. Each aircraft also remains a single aircraft that can be lost to enemy fire. Future replacements for Chinook, Merlin, Lynx, and Apache are raised as further force-planning problems.
Notable Point · 3:34:23-3:37:08
Why a more capable helicopter still moves one load at a time
The debate over 23 Puma replacements illustrates the limits of using improved individual capability to justify a much smaller fleet.