Is China eyeing the US stealth chopper used in Osama-raid?

New Delhi, May 11: After the high-profile covert operation that took down the worlds most dreaded terrorist, al-Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden from Pakistan, the US was breathing easy for a while. Now they seem to have realized another fear lurking in the back ground.

After the sensitive operation carried out by US Navy SEALS that went virtually undetected by Pakistani forces when they swooped down on the Abbottabad house in their drones; there were strong rumours on the secret stealth choppers used for the operation.

After one such chopper developed a snag in the operation, the Navy SEALS are believed to have destroyed it. But the tail section of the destroyed chopper remained evoking a lot of curiosity among aviation experts worldwide. Some were of the opinion that it was a new design and never-seen-before specially made to reduce radar footprint so that it can avoid being detected in the Pakistan radar system.

But considering Pakistan"s extreme friendliness with China, there are chances that Pak will let China examine parts of the damaged chopper.

While CIA Director, Leon Panetta claims that a 'Blackhawk' was used in the operation, there are certain elements in the design that is not typical of that chopper. Mixed reactions has come up with some commenting that it was a modified version of the M-60 Blackhawk with capabilities to evade radar detection, noise and heat suppression. But the inquisitive aviation experts seem to have noticed the extra blades in the tail rotor and the placement of a hubcap-like cover on the rotor. The feature is a totally new concept in helicopter design.

But, with the US desperately wanting to recover the wreckage and not commenting on the exact specifications of the stealth chopper, there sure is some mystery about the helicopter used.

OneIndia News