Did the US unleash a pile of secret technology on Pakistan on May 1: From the use of super stealth radar-evading helicopters, to a Navy SEAL dog fitted with titanium fangs? According to CIA Director Leon Panetta, two Blackhawks were used in Operation Neptune Spear in which ‘Geronimo’ was the code word for Bin Laden’s death. But as more details emerge, it appears that a total of four helicopters and a drone were used in the operation. Two stealth helicopters, that some say were modified Blackhawks, flew undetected through Pakistan’s airspace. They were later followed by two MH-47 Chinooks, which were called in after one of the stealth helicopters malfunctioned and had to be destroyed.
The internet is buzzing with theories about the secret helicopters, from their supposed name ‘Airwolf’ to their infrared absorbing paint, smooth skin, and masked tail rotor. On the web, the geek squad has already come up with mock images of what the secret helicopter might look like. It is rumoured that it could be the stealth Comanche, which the Pentagon cancelled in 2004 in order to develop unmanned drones instead. To further fuel the rumour mill, the US has asked Pakistan to return the wreckage of the crashed helicopter because of fears that secrets of the stealth technology could be recovered from the debris and eventually fall into rival hands.
Now for the canine fitted with titanium fangs. Details have emerged (on a variety of US-based news sites and blogs) that a dog enhanced with sharp titanium teeth was dropped down into Bin Laden’s compound. The bomb-sniffing dog was strapped to the chest of a Navy SEAL, who jumped out of a helicopter. The identity of this dog is being kept a secret, but most likely it’s a German Shepherd. It was taken along on the mission in case Bin Laden was hiding in a hole or cavity. In that case, the dog would have been used to sniff him out. The titanium fangs are said to cost $2,000 a piece and provide the dog with the ability to bite through body armour. Apparently the dog wore a protective vest equipped with an infrared camera so that it could stream live images back to the Navy SEALs.
Overhead surveillance was a crucial part of the planning and execution of the raid. Satellites take long-range pictures which can plot the movements of targets, whereas drones record movement with their video cameras. A combination of spy drones and satellites confirmed human intelligence about Bin Laden’s location and allowed the US to pinpoint his compound. Fox News reported a satellite, armed with a facial recognition programme that recognised Bin Laden exercising outside in his Abbottabad compound. Details are not clear on whether the secret stealth RQ-170 spy drone, also known as the beast of Kandahar, was used for surveillance before the raid. It is thought that its stealth ability allowed it to evade Pakistani radars and it flies high enough to prevent it from being heard.
After Bin Laden was shot, on-the-spot technology was used to identify him. Navy SEALs were equipped with state of the art handheld biometric devices. They also took photos of Bin Laden and the CIA’s facial recognition technology confirmed that they had the right guy. Facial recognition works by making a digital code of the face, which allows it to recognise photographs of the person. What happened immediately following identification, is even more bizarre. Bin Laden’s body was flown from Abbottabad to Jalalabad, in Afghanistan, for further confirmation. His DNA was matched to the brain matter of his dead sister who died of cancer in Boston a few years ago. The FBI laid claim to her body and her brain was preserved for the sole purpose of identifying Bin Laden in the event of his capture.
There is still a lot to discover about the details of the raid. We might never know what really happened that day or perhaps the next round of WikiLeaks will give us some insight. But one thing is for certain: Some of the top secret spyware that the US possesses would not have been exposed if it wasn’t for the surgical strike on Bin Laden. The use of technology has made this shocking event even more intriguing.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2011.
At the end of the day, USA is still the stole SUPERPOWER
Thank you Bin Laden for living in Pakistan so that we may marvel at state of the art toys to get our scifi fix!
The dogs were cyborg canines from the future, sent back in time to prevent Osama from launching any further attacks. “I’ll be back.”
Excellent Post !
worst case scenario:
the tail is deliberately left behind, thnx to a last minute deceptive decision, to get the idea of what sort of sheltering places military mite provide to a highly classified material by tracking and satellite imaging it (and as the article depicts..no technology can be considered an upcoming one..!)……this will lead them to further base their reconnaissance and Intel activities towards that sort of regions,areas,dens whatever in search of anything synonymous to be called a part of something that is a part of the smallest machinery in some remote nuclear device…..from their they would start a new chapter of Intel and also improve relations..and ultimately after a quest of 7,8 years…they find out……..that morning we awake..we get the news that our 1 nuclear anything has been compromised… and henceforth eventually rob us of our life..!!
but thnx God i was writing fiction!
With all this hi-tech stuff, Obama was getting a live telecast. I read somewhere or heard in a TV report that that this live telecast was held up for 20 minutes during the raid and Obama and his team in Washington were literally in the dark for that crucial period. Is this a fact or just more dis-information making the rounds ?
ahh… seems like a science fiction story…
well, i still firmly believe that Army & Air Force knew minutes after they entered our airspace but they did not wanted to engage with Americans… huh… for many reasons… huh… i wish they would have….
Our army is India centric; it can’t challenge the technological superiority of US army. People get carried away by their own propaganda, we should be more realistic. What can the poor PAF do about stealth technology and sophisticated radar jammers?
kafir hay tou shamshir pey karta hay bharosa
momin hay tou be-teigh bhi larta hay sipahi
..why would the most wanted man in the world be living un-armed in a high profile mansion in a poor neighborhood…..?? to locate whom we needed super high-tech precision equipment not to mention the stealth factor…….incredible!!
…and dear mr. US president sir history of clandestine rescue and s/d missions tells us that the chopper no matter how advanced can be humiliating machines so maybe next time you want to consider changing the mode of transport being used by the best of the best…..!!
Its absoulutely true click on the link or copy paste the link to see pictures of these modified 4 legged Deadly weapon.. teeth can tear through Armour and bones in one bite.. Insane technology.
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=forum.posts&thread=1813396&forum=2&page=1&pc=183
Now this technology is going to find the other lunatic – Ayman Zawahiri hiding Pakistan. It won’t be such as shock after all.
…and you point is?
The stealth aspect is old hat now.
Thank you for the tactical updates.
and with all the technology they were still unable to capture an unarmed man alive….
When I read the title of article, i thought its going to be sarcastic with reference to our defence forces 🙂
May be our next generation will be unveiling/reading this myth of OBL death. One thing is sure US/West media is superfluous in making stories and makes us so hypnotize that we are forced to believe whatever they portray. 9/11 is the one of the great example and Geronimo is the next best example…..
God know the actual but we have to believe in the CIA/FBI centric media stories.
“But one thing is for certain: Some of the top secret spyware that the US possesses would not have been exposed if it wasn’t for the surgical strike on Bin Laden. The use of technology has made this shocking event even more intriguing.”
True. This was an intriguing and informative piece.
HOLLYWOOD.
Only in Pakistan would someone not know that the USA has stealth aircraft – geesh.
you forget about the high tech gadgetry obtained from sympathetic aliens who had dropped by only the previous month on a refuling stop at an undisclosed location in Antarctica…
actually a few had jammed Pakistani brains during and immediately after the operation….
Wow – super duper dog!
now watch all the dog lovers buying titanium teeth and kevlar vests for their dogs too.
titanium isnt stronger than steel.its preferred only for its light weight eg in aircrafts,like aluminum.
Now lets suppose a dog has titanium teeth it doesnot have anywhere nearly the bite force to supposedly cut thru body armor/bones.dogs teeth and muscles are meant more for ‘puncture’ wounds not for munching armor.
Fact: you can find out easily how much China or Japan etc. has loaned us but you can not find out with any accuracy whatsoever how much money we borrow from Saudi Arabia.
We are broke and have been before it was news by simple math that showed where we were going. Plans were made well in advance for loans from wealthy nations, individuals etc. Our military needs huge amounts of petroleum & cash to daily feed, clothe, arm, fuel, repair, build etc. etc. our troops around the entire globe & at the very least maintain equipment & weapons.
A broke ass nation has very little to offer those in real power with wealth… therefore the fact is that our military works for Muslims. Yes it’s a fact. We have been neutralizing the Saudis rivals in the region for decades in return for supporting our worthless fiat dollar. The Saudis are your true masters period. They have the largest embassy with the tightest security in Washington. At the height of the 9/11 hysteria the Bush administration gave the Saudis the plum exclusive ports security contract (no bid) until public outcry caused a public relations problem and it was rescinded (remember??). Most of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia according to our own governments report – or have you forgotten this fact? Two of the worlds (at the time) tallest buildings fall into their own footprints with surprisingly little collateral damage – TWICE. There is majority of buildings demolition experts & structural engineers (again vast majority) who claim this was impossible from weakening a structure on a few floors – because if it was they all want to copy it and become rich in the demolition business. But forget that (like you forget everything else) and watch Building 7 (not one of the towers) fall, implode all on it’s own to the ground, EXACTLY as a previously rigged with charges building would fall, – watch it on Youtube right now from different angles for yourself. Osama Bin Laden – originally trained by us, just as Sadam Huessin was installed by us , just as Mohmar Kadafi duck was etc. etc. It is your ignorance that allows this cheap theater to continue. We have spent trillions and lost our freedom with the Patriot Act (NSA is recoding this and everything we do legally) all to catch a few rag tag thugs. The world has always had terrorists & the world has always been ruled by the rich. Remember your presidential choices are picked for you from two parties that take the same money from the same lobbyists. It’s now ‘sorta’ legal to torture people, it’s now legal to wire tap, it’s now legal detain you, it’s now legal to strip search you at the airport. Fox news, the general corporate owned media is there to play divide and conquer. Your a conservative – your a liberal – no in between – now fight while we rob your pockets and steal your hard won freedoms. It all boils down to one thing and one thing only as it always has – Rich against Poor. Osama Bin Laden – what nonsense.
@Sabina Khan
A programme on Discovery Channel titled ‘Jaws and Claws’ tells us that the force of the bite comes from the muscles controlling the jaws.This was true of T.Rex and is true of Crocodiles and Hyenas too. I hope the Yanks have found some way of marrying the Titanium teeth with Schwarzenegger’s muscles for right effect.