Is this the prototype for the stealth helicopter that was used in the bin Laden raid?

Recently I was sent a photo of a pole-model of a "stealth helicopter" being tested at a radar cross section facility known as RATSCAT/RAMS located in the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Could this be a prototypical test-shape that lead to the "stealth blackhawk" used in the bin Laden raid or is it something else in the works or (maybe) a vintage photo of an early low RCS helicopter UAV concept?

Unlike the tail section left behind in the bin Laden raid - this one looks more like a NOTAR design. However, it's an educated guess the radar data collected from this model may have lead to the design of the Stealth Blackhawk.

Info sought - please e-mail the author at webbfeat@gmail.com


-Steve Douglass

This just in:

Hi Steve & folks,
That picture shows a RCS modell for the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program. It seems to be from Lockheed Martin.
The program was cut abruptly in late 2004.

Pictures and Source: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1966.0/all.html

IMHO, maybe it became a black program and some parts like the rotor might used for the "MH-60? Silent Hawk" ;) !

Have a nice weekend! :)

Slán,
fightingirish
Member at Secret Projects Forum
--
Slán,
fightingirish

The real Star Chamber? Secret panel decides which terrorist dies.

(Reuters) - American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior government officials, which then informs the president of its decisions, according to officials.

There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House's National Security Council, several current and former officials said. Neither is there any law establishing its existence or setting out the rules by which it is supposed to operate.

The panel was behind the decision to add Awlaki, a U.S.-born militant preacher with alleged al Qaeda connections, to the target list. He was killed by a CIA drone strike in Yemen late last month.

The role of the president in ordering or ratifying a decision to target a citizen is fuzzy. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to discuss anything about the process.

Current and former officials said that to the best of their knowledge, Awlaki, who the White House said was a key figure in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, had been the only American put on a government list targeting people for capture or death due to their alleged involvement with militants.

The White House is portraying the killing of Awlaki as a demonstration of President Barack Obama's toughness toward militants who threaten the United States. But the process that led to Awlaki's killing has drawn fierce criticism from both the political left and right.

In an ironic turn, Obama, who ran for president denouncing predecessor George W. Bush's expansive use of executive power in his "war on terrorism," is being attacked in some quarters for using similar tactics. They include secret legal justifications and undisclosed intelligence assessments.

Liberals criticized the drone attack on an American citizen as extra-judicial murder.

Conservatives criticized Obama for refusing to release a Justice Department legal opinion that reportedly justified killing Awlaki. They accuse Obama of hypocrisy, noting his administration insisted on publishing Bush-era administration legal memos justifying the use of interrogation techniques many equate with torture, but refused to make public its rationale for killing a citizen without due process.

Some details about how the administration went about targeting Awlaki emerged on Tuesday when the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, was asked by reporters about the killing.

The process involves "going through the National Security Council, then it eventually goes to the president, but the National Security Council does the investigation, they have lawyers, they review, they look at the situation, you have input from the military, and also, we make sure that we follow international law," Ruppersberger said.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

Making the unmanned X-37B mini space shuttle - manned?

LOS ANGELES AVWK — Boeing is studying scaled-up variants of the reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) for potential delivery of cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations.

The development plan is believed to be aimed at providing a larger cargo adjunct to the company’s CST-100 crew vehicle as well as a possible longer-term, crew-carrying successor. The plan builds on the ongoing OTV demonstration with the U.S. Air Force, the first phase of which ended when the classified, unmanned OTV-1 demonstration flight concluded in December 2010 with an autonomous landing at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., following 244 days in orbit. A second mission, OTV-2, is under way.

OTV-2 has been in space since March 5, and assuming it has not already been covertly recovered, is expected to remain in space until at least mid-October. A landing around Oct. 15 will equal the OTV-1’s mission length. Given the 270-day mission endurance limit of the X-37B, as earlier described by the Air Force, the early March launch means the landing at Vandenberg can be expected on or before Nov. 30.

The X-37B evolution study, which harks back to the pre-military NASA origins of the OTV, envisages a three-phase buildup. The first would see the current 29-ft.-long vehicle used for demonstration flights to the ISS. In its current configuration, the X-37B launched inside the 5-meter (16.5-ft.) fairing of the Atlas V could already take bulky items such as the station’s control moment gyros, battery discharge and pump module, Boeing says.

The second phase would see the development of a 165% scaled-up version, roughly 47 ft. long and large enough to transport larger line replaceable units (LRUs) to the station. The larger version would demonstrate operations to and from the ISS, paving the way for a human-carrying derivative in the third phase. This would see a human-rated version transport “five to seven astronauts,” says Art Grantz, Boeing’s X-37B project chief.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE AT AVIATION WEEK

Dismantling the Haqqani network: Dilawar smote!

(CNN) -- A week after the senior Haqqani network leader in Afghanistan was captured, a coalition airstrike killed one of his associates, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said on Wednesday.

Dilawar, known by one name, died in the Musa Khel district of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province on Tuesday in what ISAF called "another significant milestone in the disruption of the Haqqani network." Two other militants were killed in what was an Afghan-coalition operation, ISAF said.

Dilawar was a "senior Haqqani leader" and "a principal subordinate" to Haji Mali Khan, whose capture in Paktia province last Tuesday was hailed as a blow against the network, widely regarded as one of the most effective militant groups in Afghanistan.

Western officials believe the Haqqanis were involved in the assassination last month of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, and a June attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul.

Dilawar planned attacks with Mali Khan, including an ambush on Afghan forces in Paktia last month.

"Dilawar operated along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, between the Khost and Paktia provinces, where he actively coordinated numerous attacks against Afghan forces and facilitated the movement of weapons. Dilawar also facilitated the movement of foreign fighters and was associated with both al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan," ISAF said.

ISAF said security forces have conducted more than 530 operations this year "to disrupt Haqqani network activities in eastern Afghanistan. It said the effort led to the deaths of 20 network leaders and the capture of more than 1,400 suspected Haqqani insurgents. Around 1,400 suspected Haqqani insurgents had been captured this year, 100 since the start of October alone, and 20 network leaders killed, NATO said.

The Haqqani network is one of three Taliban-allied insurgent factions fighting in Afghanistan and perhaps the most feared -- they are thought to have introduced suicide bombing to the country and be behind many high-profile attacks.

They have sworn allegiance to the Taliban, but have long been suspected of also having ties to Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate.

The outgoing chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, testified before the U.S. Senate after an attack on the U.S. embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul believed to be the work of the group, that the Haqqani network was a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who heads the group, says it no longer needs sanctuaries in Pakistan and it feels safe operating in Afghanistan.Around 1,400 suspected Haqqani insurgents had been captured this year, 100 since the start of October alone, and 20 network leaders killed, NATO said.

Freaky "Alpha Dog" may some day accompany troops in to battle scare crap out of the enemy.

Some dog owners spend years grooming their pups into strong, obedient alpha dogs. But scientists? They just build them.

A group of military-funded scientists from Boston has invented a dog-like robot, that can carry over 400 pounds on its back for 20 miles and on any sort of terrain. It uses computer vision and GPS to follow a leader, rather than require a remote-controlled driver to tell it where to go.

Nicknamed "AlphaDog," the prototype is the latest from the minds behind a four-year undertaking called BigDog, that's being developed by Boston Dynamics and funded by DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps. AlphaDog is officially called "LS3," or the Legged Squad Support System.

Check out a video demo below. As you can see, AlphaDog can walk and trot over sharp rocks, albeit rather slowly. Escapist Magazine says it will take the robot 24 hours to cover 20 miles, though no re-fueling is needed. Clearly AlphaDog is designed more for walking alongside troops rather than outpacing anyone.

The video also shows two grown men pushing AlphaDog off its course, and once it does, the robot immediately resumes its original path. It can even get up after being knocked down. Pretty cool stuff.

LS3 is scheduled for a "walk out" in 2012.

Boston Dynamics is also making robotic bugs that can squeeze through cracks, a reptilian robot that can scale walls and trees, and an anthropomorphic robot that will be used to test chemical protection clothing worn by the U.S. Army.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE