[shahadi]

Clancy has a section of V-22's from the famed Thunder Chicken's flying without escort into a hot LZ. He posits this due to the addition of the Interim Defensive Weapon System (IDWS):

"The turret gun was called the Interim Defensive Weapon System; it was a late addition to the Osprey design, giving the big transport aircraft 360 degrees of covering fire."

The IDWS exist, there are Youtube videos and numerous Web references, however, I question that command would send a section of Osprey's, transport tilt-rotors into a hot LZ without attack helo escorts.

In another section Clancy depicts a Kiowa Warrior helo wearing 4 Hellfire missiles. Now, I would think the Kiowa would not be used for a strike but to lase targets for a section of Apaches somewhere 4-5 km of the Kiowa location. Why is say this? So, that the Apaches would shoot and scoot to avoid attracting counter fires, so that the Kiowa could pop up and take another look for a BDA.

Even with my comments here, Clancy's "Command Authority," remains well worth several hours of reading.