CIA Director, Leon Panetta, said two Blackhawk helicopters used to transport the team striker Osama bin Laden's house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, last Monday. However, the ruins of the fallen helicopter did not show the characteristics of Blackhawk helicopters.
Photographs of the ruins of a U.S. helicopter crashed and then blown up by members of special forces Navy SEALs make a scene among aviation analysts on the internet. The remains of the tail, which shows the rear propeller, vertical fin and horizontal wings, did not show the characteristics of the tail section of MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, which is used to transport U.S. special forces.
One of the most striking difference is in the wings horizontal. At Blackhawk usual, this wing-shaped section rounded on the front like most wing aircraft, with strokes in the transverse stripes along the wings. While in the ruins of this helicopter, the characteristics of wing shape Blackhawk was not found.
Instead, the helicopter in Abbottabad is actually reminiscent of the typical form of the planes "stealth", like the F-117, namely the smooth surface of coated material is dark, with angular shapes at the sides. In the vane motor cover there is a layer-like shield. The number of propeller blades were also more than the number of propeller blades standard Blackhawk.
Instantly came the allegations, the special forces who stormed the house of Osama had come to use new tech stealth helicopter, which has never been publicly known.
"Now we know why it is difficult to identify the helicopter that dropped it. It was a stealth helicopter, developed in secret, the possibility is further modified version of the series H-60 Blackhawk," said Bill Sweetman, editor-flight magazine Aviation Week.
Not detected
Coating materials and forms distinctive angular stealth aircraft that aims to minimize the reflection of radar so the aircraft is difficult to detect radar. While the number of propeller blades are more numerous and cover the blades, according to Sweetman, aimed at reducing the typical noise of helicopters. "Propeller blades that reduce sound more 'whop-whop' (due to flick the propeller) is typical," said Sweetman.
One witness in Abbottabad, ABC News interviewed, admitted that he had not heard the helicopters approaching. The voice sounded after the new helicopter was directly overhead. The use of helicopter-tech stealth explain how U.S. forces could enter Pakistan territory far to the inland and then out to Afghanistan without being detected air defense radar system of the country.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry official said Salman Bashir, Pakistan Air Force plane flew two F-16 about 35 minutes after detecting foreign activity in its airspace. However, it proved the planes were unable to find U.S. helicopters. Use of helicopters the very secret it shows how the U.S. views this mission is very important and sensitive. However, the unfolding of this project stealth helicopter flight surprising observers.
U.S. helicopter ever develop stealth tech RAH-66 Comanche in the mid-1990s. However, the project was canceled in 2004 because the cost is too high.U.S. Defense Department at that time promised to apply the technology to complete the Comanche helicopter fleet that they already possess.
Until now there was no official confirmation from U.S. officials about the mysterious helicopter in Abbottabad that.