The reveal of a black budget military project with futuristic technologies raises an important question: what else is the military funding that the public doesn’t know about?
When the Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche program was canceled in 2004, the US military was left without a stealth helicopter program—or so it seemed as far as the general public was concerned. In reality, the Pentagon did have a stealth helicopter program, one that would only be obliquely acknowledged when a high-profile mishap revealed the program’s identity. That program was the “Stealth Hawk,” a stealth-modified version of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter—and the mishap that revealed the program’s identity took place during Operation Neptune Spear, better known as the raid that killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
The Stealth Hawk began with the ubiquitous Black Hawk helicopter, a utility platform used widely throughout the US military. The Stealth Hawk modifications, which took place in complete secrecy, were made to reduce the helicopter’s detectability—that is, to reduce its radar, acoustic, infrared, and visual signatures. Put simply, the Black Hawk was modified to be harder to see, hear, and pick up on radar or infrared tracking.
The exact nature of the modifications has never been properly acknowledged. But the going assumption is that radar-absorbing materials (RAM) were used on the skin while angular surfaces and smooth contours were built into the fuselage to help scatter radar signals—all techniques that have been incorporated on stealth aircraft like the B-2 Spirit and F-35 Lightning II.
What is known for certain, is the construction of the tail rotor. When the Stealth Hawk crashed during Neptune Spear, Navy SEALS attempted to destroy the aircraft, lest it fall into Pakistani (and then likely Chinese) hands. The destruction was mostly successful, but the tail rotor was left intact. Pictures circulated online showed an enclosed tail rotor, much like the one featured on the Comanche, and what were likely low-noise rotor blades. The design would have reduced noise and IR signatures. Similar low-noise rotors were likely used on the Stealth Hawk’s main rotor, which would have reduced noise levels relative to the cacophonous chopping emitted from a non-stealth helicopter.
The reason America was willing to risk the exposure of a top secret weapons development program is because of how important the element of surprise was during the bin Laden raid. While other methods were considered for the assassination of bin Laden, the SEAL raid was ultimately settled upon as the most viable option. But the nature of the raid, which would require the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, perhaps triggering the response of a relatively capable air defense system, demanded absolute surprise (plus the insertion and extraction of special forces troops). Thus, the Stealth Hawk was green lit for the operation, despite having never been acknowledged.
Of course, the plan was to use the Stealth Hawk surreptitiously, get out of Pakistan, and then return the program to the shadows, away from the prying eyes of the public (or foreign adversaries). That didn’t happen. And the reveal—of a black budget military project with futuristic technologies—raises an important question: what else is the military funding that the public doesn’t know about?
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Shutterstock / James Kirkikis.
