Posted on 05/05/2011 6:04:58 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
(CBS News)THE PENTAGON - Surprise was a key element in the raid that brought Navy SEALs to kill Osama bin Laden's at his compound in Pakistan. Stealth helicopters helped the Americans get in undetected.
The SEALs did the shooting inside bin Laden's compound, but an elite Army unit called Task Force 160 flew them there and back, and the pilot of one of the Blackhawk helicopters may have been the difference between success and failure, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
The SEALs were about to fast rope into the courtyard in front of bin Laden's house when the Blackhawk lost lift. Imagine what would have happened if it had crashed into the courtyard with all its SEALs still aboard.
Chris Marvin doesn't have to imagine. It happened to him in Afghanistan.
"How close did he come? As close as any helicopter pilot can, maybe closer," said Marvin, "but he had or she had the talent and skill level to land the aircraft safely and let everybody off without injuries."
During the mission early Monday morning in Pakistan, the pilot nudged the Blackhawk forward into a controlled crash but sheered off its tail section. The SEALs were able to continue with their mission and, before they left, blew up as much of the Blackhawk as they could but had to leave the tail section intact.
That gave aviation expert Bill Sweetman his first good look at a stealth helicopter.
"I think nobody outside the classified community really knew these existed," Sweetman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
WOPA lives.
I believe all of these solders and sailors involved in this mission are the best the world has. God Bless them!
It would be interesting to know the whole story of why the helicopter lost lift, if that’s what happened.
I bet when we get to see one of these stealth helicopters it will be Ugly but Beautiful!
I believe the author/CBS is wrong about female pilots or crew in the 160th.
The Pakis get billions each year from us yet they are going to sell this stealth helicopter to the Chinese? We can’t bribe them enough to get back this sensitive technology?
If the mission went as reported there were supposedly two Black Hawks and two Chinooks involved. It would be extremely interesting to also see what a stealth Chinook looks like!
This is a Democrat administration, and so would have wanted assurances from the Pentagon that the assassination team was “diverse” and “multicultural” and “multi-gender”, etc.
I would hope its crew chief is looking for another occupation.
“It would be extremely interesting to also see what a stealth Chinook looks like!”
It would be covered in large feather pillows! Rotor blades replaced with owl’s wings.
/sarc
The author is just following the style book recommendation (PC) in describing the pilot, probably NOT an outright suggestion that it WAS a she.
I’ve been waiting for someone else to pick up on that. Stealth Blackhawks is one thing, but stealth S***hooks??? That one I gotta see.
A heavily laden helicopter can lose lift when it gets into ground effect and the subsequent turbulence from the main rotor. It could have been because they landed in that courtyard. The walls could have raised the ground effect turbulence enough to cause the crash.
OK, that’s sorta funny in a disappointing kind of way.
evil me...
My wife just got pissed off at me when I called her in to look at your pic. I got a good chuckle tho.
I am waiting to hear what happens when the gals on The View discover that TF 160 doesn’t accept gals as pilots.
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