Reply #112: ISI is probably the last people they would tell,

[MadHound]

And it is doubtful they would tell anybody in the government, much less ask for permission, given Pakistan's relation with the Taliban, al Qaeda and bin Laden(as you state, he was parked next door to a Pakistani military training facility.

Yes, most helicopters are noisy, and they can show up on radar. But modern helicopter technology has, like fixed wing technology, improved greatly. They have stealth 'copters, much like stealth planes, and rotor noise has been reduced considerably. Also, there is much speculation, based on the wreckage left behind, that at least the copter that was blown up at the bin Laden compound, and thus assuming the others, were advanced stealth design helicopters not seen before.

Furthermore, you've got to remember that much of Pakistan isn't populated. The flights were low to the ground, avoiding radar. And a typical person, hearing a copter going overhead in the middle of the night is going to do what? Probably turn over and go back to sleep, copters are that common, even in Pakistan.

It is entirely conceivable, and even quite likely, that nobody noticed those copters, and that the raid was carried out without permission or knowledge of the Pakistani government and military.