[esdfsdflast]

When I saw a picture of that tail rotor the first thing I thought was that's a stealth, which the government says don't exist. The rotor looks much different than any I've ever seen.

You can bet that thing is in an aircraft hanger in China now, China and Pakistan have a very tight military relationship. Estimated cost? I've read anywhere from $50 million to $400 million...per chopper.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/satellite-p...222612762.html

Satellite Photos Show Navy SEAL Helicopter Used in Osama bin Laden Raid

By SPACE.com Staff,
Fri, 6 May, 2011

New satellite photos of Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, where he was killed May 1 in a military raid, offer a revealing glimpse of the operation's aftermath, including roadblocks leading to the complex and the disabled helicopter thought to be part of a top secret U.S. defense project.

The images, released by the commercial satellite and aerial imagery provider GeoEye, zero in on the bin Laden compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The photos show no apparent structural damage to the buildings, but the remains of one U.S. Navy SEAL transport helicopter can be seen.

The helicopter has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent days after photos of its tail-end were circulated online following the 40-minute night raid. Some experts have speculated that the vehicle may be a highly modified helicopter that is part of one of the military's secret "black stealth projects."

These covert ventures typically use new, innovative technologies, and the downed helicopter from the bin Laden raid could be a modified Blackhawk helicopter that is designed to fly quietly and evade radar detection, David Cenciotti, a military aviation journalist and information securities expert based in Rome, told SPACE.com's sister site TechNewsDaily.

Cenciotti noted differences in the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer and tail rotor. He also observed that the helicopter's blades were flatter, and not wing-shaped like in other helicopters, and they were partly obscured by a metal plate resembling a hubcap that he speculates could be anything from a stealth cover to an armor plate or some type of noise reduction device.

The Herndon, Va.-based GeoEye uses its high resolution GeoEye-1 satellite to image tens of millions of square kilometers of the Earth each year.

[KeettyGlots]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...DDLETopStories

Crashed Copter Sparks Concern About Secrets



http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/i...0505210416.jpg

WASHINGTON—The crash of a helicopter involved in the raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani hideout has prompted intense speculation about whether the aircraft was specially modified to fly stealthily—and whether its remains could offer hostile governments clues to sensitive U.S. military technology.

According to U.S. officials, two Black Hawk helicopters carrying Navy SEALs landed in the compound in Abbottabad, while two other helicopters circled overhead. One Black Hawk was disabled during the landing, and had to be destroyed by the commandos.

However, remnants of the helicopter, including a nearly intact piece of its tail, suggested that the aircraft involved in the raid wasn't the typical MH-60 Black Hawk flown by special-operations forces. Aviation experts who scrutinized photos of the scene say the tail had unusual features that suggested the helicopter had been extensively modified to fly quietly, while appearing less visible to radar.

The U.S. military has tried in the past to build a stealth helicopter, but has kept secret if it has indeed succeeded.

The wreckage in Abbottabad appeared to have exotic coatings and distinct surfaces and edges reminiscent of stealth aircraft such as the B-2 bomber and the F-22 fighter, aviation experts say. Equally important, they pointed to an unusual dishpan-shaped cover over the tail rotor, perhaps designed to make the aircraft quieter.

"The odds are fair—based on my knowledge of the subject area—the vast majority of the special MH-60s aircraft were purpose-built to make those aircraft as stealthy as they could possibly be," said Jay Miller, an author who has written extensively about stealth aircraft.

[mp3 free]

Just looking at your signature Reg... The Obama quote. He's spot on with that. I've said it many times before: I bought a hybrid when Bush came into office because I knew cheap gas was something I'd never see again. Let the buyer beware: If you want your SUV, and the costly tanks of gas that go with it, that's your decision. My decision was 48 miles per gallon. Obama, Bush, Cheney, none of them forced either decision on anyone.

[tattcasetle]

Regis still borrows mom's car, an Olds '82 Cutlass.

[mirex]

So what is your friggin' point Sidewinder? That the President should have ordered the SEALs to not use the best equipment possible.

[valiumcheapll]

Paul, you're assuming that he actually HAS a point. Usually he's just regurtitating Rush or Drudge, with no thought required.

[dgdhgjjgj]

There may have been a point if the mission wasn't accomplished. However, that wasn't the case.

[duawLauff]

So what is your friggin' point Sidewinder? That the President should have ordered the SEALs to not use the best equipment possible.

Sidewinder is a basement dweller, he will not discuss any post, his or others, not even when called out or mildly questioned. Sidewinder is a mindless troll, that has no single thought of his own.