Since its introduction in 1962, the American CH-47 Chinook heavylift helicopter has been a critical backbone of combat support – carrying troops, supplies, tanks, and even other aircraft into warzones.Its capabilities as a military transport are nearly unmatched and are well-known, but its surprising versatility has also seen it deployed in secret missions around the world. The Chinook has played a role in a number of classified operations, including in the daring theft of a state-of-the-art Soviet helicopter during the Cold War and in the raid to capture Osama bin Laden.It is rumored that a classified stealth version of the helicopter may have been used in the Bin Laden raid, giving a tantalizing glimpse at potential black project upgrades that could keep the Chinook flying well into the future…