China wants access to wreckage of US Navy Seals’ copter
China is apparently pushing Pakistan for full access to the wreckage of the stealth helicopter that first crash-landed and was then destroyed by the US Navy Seals during their Osama bin Laden operation in Abbottabad.
By TNN | Updated:
NEW DELHI: China is apparently pushing Pakistan for full access to the wreckage of the stealth helicopter that first crash-landed and was then destroyed by the US Navy Seals during their Osama bin Laden operation in Abbottabad.
The Chinese military wants to ascertain if it can get “a grip on the kind of advanced stealth and military technology being used by the US’ ’ by examining the helicopter debris. “The Chinese, after all, are masters of reverse-engineering . They have reverse-engineered a lot of Russian military hardware in the past,’’ said a defence official.
Covert operations, or even full-blown warfare, is all about maximizing the surprise element , which can be attained to a high degree by using stealth bombers, warships and other platforms to evade enemy radars as long as possible.
“Stealth is all about reducing the radar, infra-red , noise, frequency and magnetic ‘signatures ’ of one’s helicopter or warship to make it less visible to enemy detection and radar systems,’’ said another official.
“Radar-absorbent paint, for instance, is used in such stealth platforms. Moreover, sharp angles on the surface are kept to a minimum since they reflect the enemy radars right back. Low-noise propellers and machinery are also used, apart from ‘vibration damping’ , to reduce the noise signature,” he added.
The basic aim is to reduce the enemy’s reaction time. “An approaching plane, for instance , is usually detected by radars from a distance of 100km away. With stealth features , the detection range could be reduced to 10-20 km, giving the enemy less time to launch counter-measures ,’’ he added.
The US helicopters, of course, also used nape-of-the-Earth (NoE) flying to catch the Pakistani forces offguard. It basically involves flying close to the ground, often using valleys and folds as cover, to keep out of enemy radars. “For NoE flying, the helicopters surely had advanced terrain-avoidance radars, sophisticated radio altimeters and night-vision technology,’’ said an IAF pilot.
The Chinese military wants to ascertain if it can get “a grip on the kind of advanced stealth and military technology being used by the US’ ’ by examining the helicopter debris. “The Chinese, after all, are masters of reverse-engineering . They have reverse-engineered a lot of Russian military hardware in the past,’’ said a defence official.
Covert operations, or even full-blown warfare, is all about maximizing the surprise element , which can be attained to a high degree by using stealth bombers, warships and other platforms to evade enemy radars as long as possible.
“Stealth is all about reducing the radar, infra-red , noise, frequency and magnetic ‘signatures ’ of one’s helicopter or warship to make it less visible to enemy detection and radar systems,’’ said another official.
“Radar-absorbent paint, for instance, is used in such stealth platforms. Moreover, sharp angles on the surface are kept to a minimum since they reflect the enemy radars right back. Low-noise propellers and machinery are also used, apart from ‘vibration damping’ , to reduce the noise signature,” he added.
The basic aim is to reduce the enemy’s reaction time. “An approaching plane, for instance , is usually detected by radars from a distance of 100km away. With stealth features , the detection range could be reduced to 10-20 km, giving the enemy less time to launch counter-measures ,’’ he added.
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Reports suggest the helicopters used by the Seals in Abbottabad operation were never-before-seen stealth versions of the MH-60 Black Hawk copters. The Seals were forced to leave one of the helicopters behind after a technical snag but not blowing itself up to ensure the secretive technology did not fall into non-American hands. The copter’s tail section was, however , left intact and is now in Pakistan army’s possession.The US helicopters, of course, also used nape-of-the-Earth (NoE) flying to catch the Pakistani forces offguard. It basically involves flying close to the ground, often using valleys and folds as cover, to keep out of enemy radars. “For NoE flying, the helicopters surely had advanced terrain-avoidance radars, sophisticated radio altimeters and night-vision technology,’’ said an IAF pilot.
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