Are attack helicopters usually more well-armored than fighters, but less armored than bombers? How so, and why?

Question

Are attack helicopters usually more well-armored than fighters, but less armored than bombers? How so, and why?

In: 470

Answer 1

Attack helicopters often have substantial armour. Apache crews are protected against (IIRC) 23mm AA fire (a common WP round) and some vital systems are protected too.

Many systems are designed to be redundant and the aircraft can fly without oil for a limited time – up to half an hour under some circumstances.

The issue is that sustained fire overwhelms any individual armour, because the sheer number of damaged subsystems is too much. Interestingly, an individual SAM may be less dangerous to the aircraft than sustained cannonfire depending on the warhead.