Bounce Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 (edited) or early version of the binLaden helo..... mid -90's photo? first I've seen. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/35342/this-is-the-first-image-ever-of-a-stealthy-black-hawk-helicopter Edited August 5, 2020 by Bounce Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyArty Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Looks like the lovechild of a Black Hawk and Blue Thunder. I vote wacky movie prop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 That pic was posted here years ago, then the OP took it down. A few folks kept copies. Definitely an interesting (and extremely ugly) Hawk. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bounce Posted August 5, 2020 Author Share Posted August 5, 2020 (edited) they're all ugly Zinnnng! but I'm gonna build 2 or 3. heheh. 🙂 Edited August 5, 2020 by Bounce Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 57 minutes ago, Bounce said: they're all ugly Zinnnng! but I'm gonna build 2 or 3. heheh. 🙂 Thems fightin words!!! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnEB Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 (edited) Has the DoD ever said anything about the apparent stealth Blackhawk lost during the Bin Laden raid? I've never heard anything. So if this were can't photoshop, I'd guess this is it. Well kept secret after all these years. The cuff on the rotors looks a bit like what we saw in the Comanche. I would imagine Sikorsky learned a great deal on stealthy helicopters from that program. Edited August 5, 2020 by JohnEB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bounce Posted August 5, 2020 Author Share Posted August 5, 2020 Tail rotor is different than the compound pics of the crash Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 3 hours ago, JohnEB said: Has the DoD ever said anything about the apparent stealth Blackhawk lost during the Bin Laden raid? I've never heard anything. So if this were can't photoshop, I'd guess this is it. Well kept secret after all these years. The cuff on the rotors looks a bit like what we saw in the Comanche. I would imagine Sikorsky learned a great deal on stealthy helicopters from that program. No, that's definitely not it. We'll probably never see the real thing. The 160th did say, that the zero dark thirty helicopters were a pretty good representation of the real thing. So the film's birds are somewhat close at least. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chief Snake Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 (edited) I'm gonna go out on a limb here but a photo of this aircraft was floating around back when the RAH-66 was being developed. My memory of it was it's not a flyable prototype but a trial fit of proposed parts. A mock up. The line that comes up and across the nose suggests those are fasteners that just hold a nose cap in place. If this was a manufactured for flight change, I believe the nose would appear as a solid unit. The photo might have been in the Army Aviation Digest. Since Boeing and Sikorsky were paired on the Comanche project it seems a likely idea from Sikorsky. Chris M Edited August 5, 2020 by Chief Snake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Loach Driver Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 (edited) I think this Blackhawk did fly in that configuration and was deployed during the first Gulf War. The bolt-on kit proved to be a maintenance nightmare so was quickly removed. Very interesting aircraft and only one part of the overall Low RCS rotorcraft testing that has taken place over the last 40 plus years in the USA. LD. Edited August 5, 2020 by Loach Driver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jeffryfontaine Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 That is an EH-60 Blackhawk in the image. The antennae along the sides of the fuselage are the key feature for that variant. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 5 hours ago, Loach Driver said: I think this Blackhawk did fly in that configuration and was deployed during the first Gulf War. The bolt-on kit proved to be a maintenance nightmare so was quickly removed. Very interesting aircraft and only one part of the overall Low RCS rotorcraft testing that has taken place over the last 40 plus years in the USA. LD. Hmmm.. any sources for this info? Very interesting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 clickbait..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bounce Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 no ads for me, but thanks for your response. they're enriching. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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