The NYT tells me “79 American commandos in four helicopters descended on the compound.” And Time adds:
About two dozen Navy Seals and CIA enablers swooped down on the suburban compound in a pair of choppers, leaving a second pair lurking nearby in case they were needed. They came under fire almost immediately, giving U.S. forces all the justification they needed to amp up their firepower. Helicopters can be ungainly machines, easily downed by rocket-propelled grenades or a flurry of small-arms fire. In addition to the choppers, heavier guns — perhaps AC-130 gunships — were likely on station overhead to rain down suppressive fire as U.S. forces moved in aboard specially outfitted CH-47 and UH-60 choppers. …Twenty-four Seals fast-roped to the ground; a total of about 80 U.S. personnel took part, either in the air or below. One helicopter lost lift because the compound’s high walls upset its supporting airflow, forcing it to make a hard landing. The commandos elected to destroy the helicopter rather than try to recover it: time was short.
OK. “Specially outfitted” UH-60 likely means MH-60L or K with night vision and terrain-following radar. They can hold 12 to 14 troops each, plus a crew of up to four, so that math works. Two Blackhawks with 16 personnel each gives us 32 already, with 47 left to go. Then let’s assume two Chinooks, MH-47G or Es. Crew of three and a capacity of 33 to 55. The crews get us down to 40 or 41.
That sounds awfully close to a Ranger platoon of 42 — four nine-man squads, plus NCOs, and officers. If so, they would’ve provided the “fight out” option that has been mention in several raid rundowns. It would also mesh with the attempted rescue of British aid worker Linda Norgrove last October in Afghanistan. That mission also reportedly used a dead of night fast-rope insertion of about two dozen SEALs and 20 Rangers. A SEAL grenade was determined to have killed Norgrove and that helmet cam vid of that mission may exist. (Why no one is bringing this up with regard to the bin Laden raid is baffling.)
A single Ranger platoon also explains how an entire Blackhawk could be expendable to the mission: the Chinooks were flying very light, with less than half of their troop capacity — 21 Rangers each — going in. I’m guessing the Blackhawk inside the compound that lost lift went down so hard that the tail rotor banged on the ground, making controlled flight impossible. Still unknown is if the second Blackhawk ever landed — or if it backed out after the SEALs roped in.
The extra Chinook capacity meant that the Rangers could fast rope down, secure a landing zone next to the compound, and cover the 24 or so SEALs as they got out. It also means that maybe only one Chinook ever touched down, the second one staying in reserve should something go really wrong.
In any event, it will interesting to see what additional details trickle out. Clearly the lesson is to build in a little wiggle room into even the most high precision, high risk operations.
