As photographs of the wreckage left behind at Osama bin Laden's million-dollar Abbottabad compound continue to surface, aviation experts are speculating that the U.S. military deployed a custom stealth version of the famous Black Hawk helicopter in its operation to execute the terrorist leader.
According to a retired special operations aviator speaking with the Army Times, Navy SEALs utilized a "radar-evading variant of the special operations MH-60 Black Hawk" to complete the mission.
The top-secret helicopter model was supposedly modified to minimize detection and reduce rotor noise.
"Images of the wreckage of a helicopter that reportedly crashed during the operation, apparently due to an undisclosed technical malfunction, do not conform to any types that are known to be in service with the US military or in development," IHS Jane's reported.
Experts believe that special operations officers attempted to demolish the aircraft after it suffered damages during the mission, and although they were largely successful, explosives left the helicopter’s tail boom, tail rotor assembly and horizontal stabilizers intact.
"No wonder the team tried to destroy it," Aviation Week said, adding that although the aircraft used for the mission does appear to be classified, "stealth helicopter technology in itself is not new and was applied extensively to the RAH-66 Comanche."
The U.S. military introduced the classic Black Hawk in 1979.
For more information on the MH-60 Black Hawk, here's a short video clip from the National Guard.