China seeks access to wreckage of Seals' copter

prototype

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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 operation to take out Osama bin Laden 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 maximising the surprise element, which can be attained to a high degree by using stealth bombers, warships and other platforms to evade enemy radars for as long as possible.

"Stealth is all about reducing the radar, infra-red, noise, frequency and magnetic `signatures' of one's helicopter, plane 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 100 km 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.

Reports suggest the helicopters used by the Seals during their 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 before lobbing thermite grenades inside its main body 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 the possession of the Pakistan Army. "It can prove useful to get clues to the American stealth technology," said the official.

The US helicopters, of course, also used nape-of-the-earth (NoE) flying to catch the Pakistani forces totally offguard. It basically involves flying close to the ground, often using valleys and folds as cover, to keep under the coverage of enemy radars.

"The Pakistanis probably have only a few `low-looking radars' in that region. For NoE flying, the US helicopters surely had advanced terrain-avoidance radars, enhanced GPWS (ground proximity warning systems), sophisticated radio altimeters and night-vision technology," said an IAF pilot.

"They would have also had latest intelligence and updated maps of the region, where the positions of high-tension wires, towers, buildings, air defence radars and guns were clearly marked out," he added.

http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/China-seeks-access-to-wreckage-of-Seals-copter/articleshow/8259026.cms
 

Virendra

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Chinese xerox machine at it again :)
 
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tarunraju

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It's not like they're going to piece that helicopter back together, it's the radar-absorbing material they're interested in. I'm sure a piece must have reached Beijing already.
 

prototype

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American's had already anticipated this,still they failed to secure their technology,Chinese are the king's of reverse engineering,they wont leave this opportunity,very soon they are going to launch helos with an equivalent RAM coating.
 

Patriot

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Pak people might have made money by selling wreckage to Chinese. Americans must be feeling very sorry.
 

redragon

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Job well done, hopfully those designers can get some ideas and apply them to the chinese 10t level helo
 

nimo_cn

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Job well done, hopfully those designers can get some ideas and apply them to the chinese 10t level helo
No one can be sure that China has already got the wreckage, and I doubt China will get it given Americans made such a high-profile allegation right after they left the chopper in the operation. Pakistan won't risk ruining everything they are gonna get from US by providing classified information about this chopper to China.
 

Yusuf

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No one can be sure that China has already got the wreckage, and I doubt China will get it after Americans made such a high-profile allegation right after they left the chopper in the operation. Pakistan won't risk ruining everything they are gonna get from US by providing classified information about this chopper to China.
A small piece of it could be sent to china to analyze the RAM on it. Rest of it like the tail rotor assembly would have been inspected in Pakistan itself by the numerous Chinese engineers present in Pakistan.
 

no smoking

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Wonderful, if China gets this, it would save them billions of dollars research expense and maybe 5 years time. God bless China.
 

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