When a U.S. military helicopter was destroyed in the backyard of Osama bin Laden's compound, it left not only a pile of smoldering wreckage but tantalizing evidence of a secret stealth chopper.
The quest for a helicopter that can slip behind enemy lines without being heard or detected by radar has been the Holy Grail of military aviation for decades and until this week nobody had thought such a craft existed.
But aviation experts are now convinced that the Pentagon may have developed such an aircraft. They say the U.S. military went to extraordinary lengths to protect its new technology by destroying a helicopter that had been damaged in the raid, either during the initial landing or in the subsequent evacuation.
A section of the craft also survived intact, and photos of it leave no doubt in analysts' minds that the U.S. had modified a MH-60 Black Hawk into some kind of super-secret stealth helicopter — the likes of which have never been seen before.
Among the various vegetable crops growing alongside the bin Laden compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a row of marijuana plants was also discovered by CNN reporter Nic Robertson.
It begs the question: was Osama bin Laden a pothead?
edit: ok I first thought it was growing inside his compound
Stealthy helicopters are the holy grail but tremendously expensive. The biggest problem is that no matter what you do, you'll hear them coming, and the rotation of the blades causes radar returns.
The Comanche attack helicopter was an attempt at a stealthy attack helicopter, Boeing claimed that its radar return was 1/300th of an standard aircraft. But the project was expensive and it was gassed in 2004 with only two being built.
If you take a look at the rear rotor its shrouded. The picture of the tail section of the destroyed helicopter isn't shrouded so it would sound like a standard helicopter.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Stealthy helicopters are the holy grail but tremendously expensive. The biggest problem is that no matter what you do, you'll hear them coming, and the rotation of the blades causes radar returns.
The Comanche attack helicopter was an attempt at a stealthy attack helicopter, Boeing claimed that its radar return was 1/300th of an standard aircraft. But the project was expensive and it was gassed in 2004 with only two being built.
If you take a look at the rear rotor its shrouded. The picture of the tail section of the destroyed helicopter isn't shrouded so it would sound like a standard helicopter.
Yeah this one is puzzling.hard to believe this day in age they can still hide a weapon that big from the geeks who like to snoop!
This tail rotor doesn't look like anything anyone has seen before.
I was kind of shocked when they cancelled the Comanche because of costs considering they had no problem building 160+ units of $200 million F-22's. The rig looked bad assed.
It looks far to large to be part of an attack chopper so maybe this thing is just a modified Black Hawk or Sea Hawk.
Yeah this one is puzzling.hard to believe this day in age they can still hide a weapon that big from the geeks who like to snoop!
This tail rotor doesn't look like anything anyone has seen before.
I was kind of shocked when they cancelled the Comanche because of costs considering they had no problem building 160+ units of $200 million F-22's. The rig looked bad assed.
It looks far to large to be part of an attack chopper so maybe this thing is just a modified Black Hawk or Sea Hawk.
I think 'cancelled due to costs' is pentagon short hand for 'bloody thing doesn't work'
By all accounts the Comanche was an excellent helicopter, but with the ground attack aircraft that are available now, you don't see as much use for a single platform helicopter.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Osama is really Obama, he just switched one letter in his name to trick us. That's why Ob(s)ama doesn't want his real place of birth revealed. It's Saudi Arabia.
Open your eyes, people.
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"An adherent of homeopathy has no brain. They have skull water with the memory of a brain."
Osama is really Obama, he just switched one letter in his name to trick us. That's why Ob(s)ama doesn't want his real place of birth revealed. It's Saudi Arabia.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
Really dominating the news now is what is next for the USA/Pakistan relationship?
Clearly one of two things happened over there...
(A)they were completely incompetant in understanding that the worlds most wanted man was living mere miles from the "West Point" of Pakistan (an area that requires some security screening to build and live there from what is being said by many)
or
(B..and worse) they were implicit at some level of government in hiding him from the US and others. Either way a tremendously embarrassing situation on the diplomatic level for them
Really dominating the news now is what is next for the USA/Pakistan relationship?
Clearly one of two things happened over there...
(A)they were completely incompetant in understanding that the worlds most wanted man was living mere miles from the "West Point" of Pakistan (an area that requires some security screening to build and live there from what is being said by many)
or
(B..and worse) they were implicit at some level of government in hiding him from the US and others. Either way a tremendously embarrassing situation on the diplomatic level for them
And as one commentator noted this week either situation is really, really bad.
Really dominating the news now is what is next for the USA/Pakistan relationship?
Clearly one of two things happened over there...
(A)they were completely incompetant in understanding that the worlds most wanted man was living mere miles from the "West Point" of Pakistan (an area that requires some security screening to build and live there from what is being said by many)
or
(B..and worse) they were implicit at some level of government in hiding him from the US and others. Either way a tremendously embarrassing situation on the diplomatic level for them
A Hasidic (a Yiddish newspaper) published the famous "situation room" photo, but photoshopped females Clinton and Tomasen out of it because, according to their religious beliefs, women, in general, could be construed as sexually suggestive.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
60 Minutes tonight is a MUST watch...Obama sits down and goes through the whole operation from last year when intel suggested they may have located him right to the raid and afterwards.
Really bad ass stuff.
Bin Ladens code name was Geronimo...HA!
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As nervous as I was about this whole process, the one thing I didn't lose sleep over was the possibility of taking bin Laden out. Justice was done. And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined.
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Obama rules. I PVRd 60 Minutes and will watch it later.
That photoshopped picture from Israel or wherever the hell it is, is bloody ridiculous. While it probably won't be as iconic as some other famous political photographs, it's pretty damn important. Sexually suggestive. Incredible.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
