US Helicopters Raid in Abbottabad

[Adnan Anwar]

would not be observable on any radar?

Well for every poison there is an antidote. Nonetheless, the modern stealth technology F-117, B2 etc are very effective in evading radar detection.
This piece of equipment can be very useful in finding its radar signature and the wavelengths it reflects to develop a counter measure

I agree , Pakistan should analyze all radar signatures on that day and timeframe.

[nopy99]

Im surprised US didint fire off a couple of tomahawks to finish of the physical aspects of the remaining airframe.

i wonder if bits of this airframe will end up in China?

[Adnan Anwar]

Im surprised US didint fire off a couple of tomahawks to finish of the physical aspects of the remaining airframe.

i wonder if bits of this airframe will end up in China?

I am sure Chinese have already been invited to examine it.

[meekal ahmed]

In addition to being non-detectable on radar, they had also sound-suppression modification which means no sound until directly over-head.

[Amjad]

I have one question surrounding this whole incident.

What does not seem to quiet add up is the burial of OBL at sea of an aircraft carrier which was stationed in the Arabian Gulf.

In the time frame given by the US from incident starting to burial it does not seem possible for a helicopter to transport the body from either Ghazi air base or from Afghanistan to the aircraft carrier. The US quiet clearly stated the body was transported by helicopter.

Is there a helicopter, in US fleet, that has that range without refueling to this trip?

Also what sort of time scale are we talking about to get from Ghazi Air Base to the Arabian Gulf by helicopter?

[TAILWIND]

Assuming Jalajabad-Kandahar-Pangur-Ormara plus 100 mies to the carrier in 'North Arabian Sea) the distance comes to be around 830 nautical miles. With an average ground speed og 130 knots (typical for helicopters) the one way flying time is a little over 6 hours. Lets say they reached back at Jalalabad at 0140 (pst) spend 1-2 hours in shifting to other helicopter and tool off a 0340, they can reach the ship in sea arount 1000 hours. The news of 'sea burial' came around 12:30 1 pm, does make sense nothing extra ordinary.

Is there a helicopter, in US fleet, that has that range without refueling to this trip

Well with the additional external tanks on black hawk or MH-53 it is possible. More over they can refuel mid-air using KC-130 while over Afghanistan.

[Nadir Ali]

I am ashamed of our armed forces. They are not fit for fighting but have turned into property dealers.

40 minutes operation and no one even moved a muscle. even when radars are jammed there is enough personnel on our boarders to identify violation of airspace. I know this for a fact. face it we are americas b***h. Whether we like it or not.

I'd be a little more optimistic if I were you. The Americans left a huge prize behind like they did in the 90s when one of their fox missiles fell into Pakistan unexploded and were reverse engineered by our scientists. I think it's a little early to celebrate, but if the most important parts of the stealth chopper is still intact, I see this as a win-win situation

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/04 ... -compound/

A U.S. defense official is concerned that the tail of a military helicopter left at Usama bin Laden's Abbottabad compound and widely considered to be a "stealth" model could be technologically exploited if it falls into Chinese or enemy hands.

A series of photos that a Pakistani security official sold to Reuters reportedly shows three of the men killed in the siege, as well as wreckage of the helicopter that the U.S. had to abandon due to engine failure after Navy SEALs killed the Al Qaeda leader and took his body away in another helicopter.

The tail design of the helicopter seen in the new photos shows an unusual assembly, possibly hinting at a type of previously-unknown stealth capability, experts say.

"It was a secretly developed stealth helicopter, probably a highly modified version of an H-60 Blackhawk," reported Bill Sweetman on Aviation Week’s Ares blog. "The helicopter's tail features stealth-configured shapes on the boom and tip fairings, swept stabilizers and a "dishpan" cover over a non-standard five-or-six-blade tail rotor. It has a silver-loaded infra-red suppression finish similar to that seen on some V-22s."

An unamed retired special operations aviator told the Army Times a similar story, that the helicopters that flew the Navy SEALs on their mission were a radar-evading variant of the special operations MH-60 Black Hawk.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/04 ... z1LVoRhSDE

[Nadir Ali]

The is the third time I can count a jackpot left by the US in Pakistan. First the 1998 Tomhawk cruise missile. Then the Raymond Davis shooting which alerted us to the presence of US spies, and now this stealth helicopter, assuming the outer skin and interior engine are still identifiable.

Let's keep our fingers crossed. [-o<

[nopy99]

I have one question surrounding this whole incident.

What does not seem to quiet add up is the burial of OBL at sea of an aircraft carrier which was stationed in the Arabian Gulf.

In the time frame given by the US from incident starting to burial it does not seem possible for a helicopter to transport the body from either Ghazi air base or from Afghanistan to the aircraft carrier. The US quiet clearly stated the body was transported by helicopter.

Is there a helicopter, in US fleet, that has that range without refueling to this trip?

Also what sort of time scale are we talking about to get from Ghazi Air Base to the Arabian Gulf by helicopter?

Here is the timeline.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/03/135951504 ... ns-hideout

[meekal ahmed]

Why would they use a helicopter to transport the remains to the aircraft carrier? Surely not.

[Amjad]

Here is the timeline.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/03/135951504 ... ns-hideout


Thanks Nopy99 for that link.

So according to this timeline from incident comencing to burial ceremony comencing on aircraft carrier is aapprox 13.5 hours. Interesting

Any further views?

[Nadir Ali]

If it does end up with China and Pakistan then LOL @ USA

[Abbas Ali]

According to a report in May 6 newspaper, a pair of PAF F-16 fighters were scrambled when Pakistani authorities became aware of Abbottabad operation.

“Pakistan was not consulted; these helicopters had the technology to evade radars and our first information, which was picked up by the media, was when one US helicopter developed a fault. The relevant departments were immediately asked to confirm what had happened and two F-16s scrambled, which is the standard response,” said Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.

Source: The News

Abbas

[TAILWIND]

Where were Erieye AEW Saab 2000 aircraft with latest synthetic aperture phased array radar?

[nopy99]

'Stealth helicopters' used in Bin Laden raid

Also this report by BBC suggest the raid team was based on Blackhawks and and also supported by 2 chinooks. I wonder if they would have landed in a remote staging area in Pakistan somewhere.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13297846