New Books Claims Only *2* Stealth Blackhawks Made (hrm)

The new book entitled Relentless Strike: The Secret History Of Joint Special Operations Command claims the stealth Blackhawk tail seen as remains from the bin Laden raid was one of only TWO ever built. Foxtrot Alpha has some extracts from the book about the 'unicorn' stealth Blackhawks.

I have a hard time believing they only made two. Really.

a reply to: anzha

That's pretty interesting. I know someone that saw them, and he saw more than two sitting there.

Wasn't stealthiness simply the use of special radar-absorbing paints, angled surfaces, concealed engines and carbon-fiber surfaces?

a reply to: Zaphod58

Possible damage control?

a reply to: anzha

There probably would be any need for any more. I can imagine would only be used for "special" missions and probably had a lot of restrictions on mission profile due to the limitations of the added weight that stealth treatment had on the OEM Blackhawk.
Like depicted in the "Zero Dark Thirty", was most likely a special one/two off modification specific for the OBL raid to begin with.
Helos in general aren't going to be as stealthy to the degree that an aircraft can be so even a "stealthhawk" wouldn't do so well in an area with modern capable radar coverage which would limit it's usefulness even further.

a reply to: anzha

Another interesting read on the subject and the OBL raid:

deepbluehorizon.blogspot.com...

a reply to: stormcell

Pretty much. There's only so much you can do to make a helicopter stealthy. That rotor is a great RCS booster.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Just need to make the rotor radar transparent, right???

a reply to: anzha

It turns out it's not as easy to do, and have it still be efficient, as they thought. They're reduced the RCS of the rotor, by quite a bit actually, but they can't get it down to where it's truly stealthy.

originally posted by: stormcell
Wasn't stealthiness simply the use of special radar-absorbing paints, angled surfaces, concealed engines and carbon-fiber surfaces?

well, that's using the "simply", as if you are changing the oil on your car. maybe just a liiiiitle more went into it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Oh, I figured. Big whirly things are tough to make work, quiet and stealthy.

What's the thread where someone commented the Pentagon was pushing for two primes only? Kendall just came out and stated rather differently today.

a reply to: anzha

The quiet they actually nailed down pretty well. That's one of the reasons that a Blackhawk rotor is curved at the end. One of the biggest noise makers on the earlier helicopters was the rotor tip going supersonic. Curving it slowed it to subsonic speeds and quieted it down a lot.

a reply to: anzha

www.popsci.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Foxtrot Alpha has an article up that implies the unit was expanded after the bin laden raid.... Added to amazon wishlist...

Now that IS Stealth...

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: anzha

That's pretty interesting. I know someone that saw them, and he saw more than two sitting there.

There are more than just two of the type that were used in Abbottabad. One of the new ones was in south Florida, back in March.

a reply to: anzha

The article states that only two were made of that model and confirms that the design has been revamped and that there is a unit that likely operates out of Tonopah with these newer craft..

I seem to remember comments by some former devgru members after the bin laden raid, that there was an even better/stealthier chopper that wasn't used. Anyone remember this?

a reply to: anzha

Heard they're up to about 11 nowadays. Program is running strong.

They have also been used in Syria, Jordan and rumor has it during Jade Helm.