A previously undisclosed, classified stealth helicopter built by Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft apparently was part of the U.S. task force that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 1, according to Aviation Week.
The exact type of helicopter is unknown but it appears to be a highly modified version of an H-60 Blackhawk, the magazine reports on its Web site.
Sikorsky spokesmen did not immediately return HBJ Today’s calls Wednesday for comment on the report.
Aviation Week reports photos disseminated via the European PressPhoto agency and attributed to an anonymous stringer show that the helicopter’s tail features stealth-configured shapes on the boom and the tail rotor hub fairings, swept stabilizers and a “dishpan” cover over a five-or-six-blade tail rotor. It has a silver-loaded infrared suppression finish similar to that seen on V-22s.
The aircraft was damaged during the mission and abandoned. The mission team destroyed most of the airframe but its tail section landed outside the wall of the target compound and escaped demolition.
Stealth helicopter technology is not new and was applied extensively to the Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche, cancelled in 2004. Compared with fixed-wing stealth, more emphasis is usually placed on noise and infrared signatures.
