The Lexington Institute has a gift for stating the obvious. Yes indeed,
redirected Comanche money will buy lots of stuff a wartime Army needs
-- especially ASE.

That said, the real question is how the Comanche requirement was
validated and re-validated from about 1990 to 2003. If the Comanche
was a Cold War relic, why and how did the requirements system continue
to support the thing for a decade after the Cold War? If the
requirement was still genuine, how did it just disappear?

Sorry to contradict Lexington, but unlike lots of military helicopters,
the AH-1Z or UH-1Y are not based on commercial airframes. The real
savings for the Marine Corps come from common engines, rotor systems,
and drivetrains on amphibious assault ships.

HW