AH-64 "Apache" helicopter carrying 16 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
http://ericpalmer.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/ah-64dv.jpg

First with the second question: anti-aircraft are a temporary deterrent by the most part if they are continually attacked, but still they always represent a major obstacle for air offensives.

Helicopters are not use today in that specific roll (is not that you can´t use them for that task), but there are other platforms that better deal with the anti-aircraft deterrent.

Normally, the first stage of an attack (lets say Desert Storm in 1991) comes preceded by a first wave of AH-64 "Apache" helicopters that enters deep into enemy territory (usually flying very low at night) and destroys a key radar installation using Hellfire air-to-ground missiles from distances between 2 to 5 kilometers.

Once the radar installation is taken out, there will be a huge gap in the radar network umbrella over the enemy territory. Then a second wave of F-4 "Wild Weasels" electronic jammer aircraft enters the melee, they will pass thru the gap jamming radar signals and radio frequencies all the way to the target saturating the environment with electronic garble, effectively shooting down all enemy communications in the path and paving the way for the following wave of bomber aircrafts.

Following the "Wild Weasels" comes the third wave, the real attack. In this wave usually comes the F-117 Stealth aircrafts (now out of commission) that will strike the most sensitive, important and difficult targets of all using Laser Guided Bombs (LGB). Other aircraft in this wave will be the F-111 "Aardvark" medium range bombers that most likely will strike other radar installations, aircraft parked concentrations over important airfields, aircraft bunkers, bridges, TV stations, presidential palaces or ministerial buildings.

There is a fourth wave consisting of F-15 "Eagle" air superiority aircrafts that will deal with the air-to-air suppressing goal of defending the first wave of bombers that don´t have defensive armament. Among this fourth wave come the F-18 " Super Hornet" naval fighter bombers and F-16 "Falcon" multirole fighter aircrafts which are also used to suppress anti-aircraft missile sites, Scud movable missiles or simple triple AAA anti-aircraft emplacements.

Anti-aircraft guns are mostly destroyed by Laser Guided Bombs; anti-aircraft missiles are destroyed by AGM-88 HARM high-speed antiradiation missiles which lock into the same emitting radar signals of the battery of missiles, therefore using their signal to destroy them.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/AIM-9_AIM-120_and_AGM-88_on_F-16C.jpg
F-16C carrying from left to right: AIM-120 Sparrow medium range air-to-air missile, AIM-9 Sidewinder short range air-to-air missile, AGM-88 HARM high-speed antiradiation missile.

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