40 minutes is the total time in the compound. The firefight itself could’ve been much less.

US reports are saying that the Pakistanis were only informed AFTER the operation (no other allies were informed also). Pakistanis are insisting that it was a joint operation. What’s worse for the Pakistanis?

More details are emerging:
http://nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/the-secret-team-that-killed-bin-laden-20110502

Black Hawk

Being an aviation forum, it’d be interesting to find out the aircraft involved?

OBL body was supposedly held for a while at Bagram (200nm from Abbottbad ). Some reports say two others say four helicopters were used. One helicopter was abandoned.

Mi-17? Known to be used in covert missions crossing back and forth over the af-pak border.

MH-60s? Refuelable and heavily armed.

MH-47s? spec. forces version has a 300nm combat radius

Mixed, AH-64 escorts?

But current conditions in Libya, i.e. fighting an ennemy who camouflage / burry himself, making him harder to spot, emphasise the need to go down (in the SAM belt) to see better what’s going on before striking :
“Those littles dots on my TGP display, are they civilians, rebels, or pro-K ?? Damn, already max zoom and forbiden to go lower than FL150…” (NATO pilot on a fast jet – guess)

Cheers
AZ

Predator operators also bring a lot more experience in that environment than a typical F-16 or Tornado driver/s.

More on Predator ops:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a161e712a-a94b-4fd2-921b-399a34677c59&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

…. The U.S. is introducing a tactic that allows armed aircraft to fly lower – and closer to Libyan government forces – without subjecting its aircrews to attack by the SA-24 man-portable anti-aircraft missile.

“We saw an opportunity here and recommended it to the president, and he took it,” says Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “They give you a capability that even the A-10s and the AC-130s couldn’t provide.”

I guess the template for a modern air war is:
day 1. SEAD
day 2. bomb-truck work
day 3. armed UAVs for close high value precision work (ie. urban areas)

There’s not enough non-US armed UAVs out there. The UK has some (they’ve lost a few) but they’re busy providing overwatch in A’stan.

A SRBM should be both cheaper and more effective as a deep penetration bomb
then building and operating B-2

Ballistic missiles can be vulnerable to anti-air/anti-ballistic.

B-2s not so much – they exists to ‘kick in the door’. In 10 years time you’re looking at a mature F-22, F-35, JASSM-ER and hopefully Prompt Global Strike (latest news http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/24/business/la-fi-hypersonic-missile-20110324).

Well if you consider that part of what happens in Lybia is marketing of western technology, then there is a very logical explaination over the questions:
Why use a B2 for just 2 bombs?

Three B2s dropped 45 2000lb’rs …