http://defensetech.org/2011/05/04/secret-bin-laden-raid-chopper-a-modified-mh-60/ Either a modified MH-60 or a whole new aircraft. Sounds like the former is more likely, but still pretty interesting none the less.
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That's just an image that some blogger rendered from his imagination..definitely not it, but it's certainly not an outrageous guess.
First thing I said when I saw pics on CNN's pager: "WTF IS THAT!" I'd love to see what the entire thing looks like...I wouldn't be surprised if that sketch (just someone's guess) ends up looking like it. Of course the refuel boom would have to be different for stealth. Local residents said they couldn't hear it til it was directly overhead and the power to the city cut off right when they heard it...and came back on when they left.
According to the article, someone familiar with the aircraft said it didn't originally have a refuel boom due to its radar signature, but it was possible they added one later on.
Being a heli pilot I just can't understand losing contol of it and destroying the ship. My gosh, most likely a 15 million dollar bird and this happens to it with no gunfire. They don't make good bouncy balls.
Heard somewhere that the pilot got it on the ground, shut it down for whatever reason, and then couldnt get it restarted again. Not sure it was a hard landing or not?
Consider the circumstances...this thing was probably at it's absolute maximum weight to be able to even get off the ground for starters. Plenty of things could have happened, many of which are not necessarily pilot error. I'll give these guys the benefit of the doubt..SoF heli pilots are the best of the best.
More than that...according to WikiPedia, the UH-60s were $44 million in 2008 dollars. With special forces upgrades + stealth upgrades, I bet it was easily pushing 70+. That stealth kit probably isn't cheap =)
How was it at max weight? Clearly that group in the heli split up and went into the others. There should have been room for extra people 'just in case' like what we saw here. Unless those seals decided to stay on the ground and leave through another way...doubtful.
I've read somewhere that it struck a wall during landing. Shame......I'm also really curious what it looked like.....
If you have never flown a helicopter using NVG's you have no room to criticize here. Been there, done that, and got a taste of how challenging it really is. While NVGs allow you to see, there really isnt any depth perception. The only thing that tells you how far you are from something is the relative size. When you are trying to gage your distance from something (like a wall) you need have to have a lot of experience in knowing exactly how tall the wall is. In a strange place with only a few feet to spare its real easy to bump the edge and have a problem. Add to the fact that the glazing is likely treated to reduce RCS and you have a situation where it is extremely difficult to see whats going on. Landing in a courtyard with a few feet to spare, on NVG's with RCS glazing is beyond anything mere mortals can imagine. As noted above, these guys are the best of the best, but in very tight missions like this dodo still occurs.
While regrettable to have lost this aircraft, it's certainly understandable. However, I really wish the Pakis return it to the rightful owners... Does anyone know if we've demanded its return, yet? CW
The special forces version of the black hawk is heavier than the standard version, plus the stealth kit which undoubtedly added more weight...I was just speculating, but with a dozen special forces on board plus all of their equipment, I'm willing to bet that thing couldn't carry much more..from the sound of it, there was an MH-47 as well which is how they were all able to get out of there (not on the other blackhawk).
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a80861c42-a657-41e9-a7e0-69feb581c791 A slight difference in temperature brought down the helicopter used in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. Lawmakers have received briefings on the cause of the crash all week, and rumblings about the heat have been trickling out. During an event at the Heritage Foundation, though, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee spelled it out. The back of the helicopter hit the wall, McKeon said, and then there was a 15-degree difference in temperature as it was hovering. With that change, "they couldn't hold the hover," McKeon said. So there wasn't a pilot error or a mechanical failure, he said, rather it was a miscalculation of the temperature.
Amazing. Awesome. I had never heard of a stealth helicopter before - I never even considered it. Has this been known about to the public - or is this the first we've seen and heard of it?
I think the term 'stealth' here is probably used a bit loosely. It would be interesting to learn more about it, but unless this is a whole new design, chances are that this helicopter was just stealthier than the original, but certainly not LOW OBSERVABLE by today's standards. Perhaps we are talking about the difference in RCS between a barn door and a bedroom door, which could still make a considerable difference when combined with low flying through heavy ground clutter.
