Top Secret Stealth Helicopter Program Revealed in Osama Bin Laden Raid

[tekisui]

Source: ABC



Before an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs executed a daring raid that took down Osama bin Laden, the commandos were able to silently sneak up on their elusive target thanks to what aviation analysts said were top secret, never-before-seen stealth-modified helicopters.

In the course of the operation that cost the al Qaeda leader his life, one of the two Blackhawk helicopters that carried the SEALs into bin Laden's Pakistani compound grazed one of the compound's wall and was forced to make a hard landing. With the chopper inoperable, at the end of the mission the SEALs destroyed it with explosives.

But photos of what survived the explosion -- the tail section of the craft with curious modifications -- has sent military analysts buzzing about a stealth helicopter program that was only rumored to exist. From a modified tail boom to a noise reducing covering on the rear rotors and a special high-tech material similar to that used in stealth fighters, former Department of Defense official and vice president of the Lexington Institute Dan Goure said the bird is like nothing he's ever seen before.

"This is a first," he said. "You wouldn't know that it was coming right at you. And that's what's important, because these are coming in fast and low, and if they aren't sounding like they're coming right at you, you might not even react until it's too late... That was clearly part of the success."

more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/top-secret-stealth-helicopter-program-revealed-osama-bin/story?id=13530693
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In addition to stealth chopper, this clears up the question of the crash. It wasn't mechanical failure, but that it grazed the wall.

[Cid_B]

1. Too bad...

...

[leftstreet]

2. This is shaping up to be a blockbuster movie!

:popcorn:

[karnac]

3. this a big deal

there are pictures of kids picking up pieces of cover/fabric from the craft.

I don't want this winding up in china's hands. Unavoidable now.

[sufrommich]

4. Unfortunately true. nt

[Vehl]

5. my thoughts exactly

China would probably get only the tail-end(no pun intended) though..cos the rest was inside the compound and was thoroughly burned down due to the incendiary grens used by the demolition crew.

check the thread on militaryphotos.net for more details on this copter

[8 track mind]

6. Damn! Blue Thunder does exist! n/t

[Brother Buzz]

7. Airwolf kicked Blue Thunder's ass

:rofl:

[8 track mind]

8. Oh Yeah?!!??

well blue thunder had cool names like "Jafo" or something......







Yeah air wolf was pretty bad ass, i concede.....

[Brother Buzz]

9. The operative word is 'Had'

Blue Thunder, unlike Superman, was not more powerful than a locomotive.

[nonperson]

10. So all those years people were being accused of wearing tin foil hats

For fearing the government would whisk them away in black helicopters invisibly and silently hovering over their heads, they were right?

[parkia00]

11. Something like this prehaps?

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=155135&d=1304520018