Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion

The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons made in March 1962 for a replacement for the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave helicopters flown by the United States Marine Corps (USMC). In July 1962, Sikorsky's proposal, which was basically a scaled-up S-61R fitted with twin General Electric T64 turboshaft engines and the dynamic system of the S-64/CH-54, was selected. On 14 October 1964, the YCH-53A performed its maiden flight; the first deliveries of production CH-53s to operational units commenced on 12 September 1966. The first combat use of the type occurred during the following year when it was deployed to the Vietnam theatre; the CH-53 quickly proved its value for moving heavy payloads, particularly in the recovery of damaged aircraft. Several variants of the type were promptly introduced. The United States Air Force introduced the HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant", configured for special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions, during the latter part of the Vietnam War; the majority of these were subsequently rebuilt into the MH-53 Pave Low. The dimensionally-similar CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavier-lifting improved version of the rotorcraft, designated S-80E by Sikorsky; its third engine makes it more powerful than the Sea Stallion and thus displaced it for the heavy-lift mission. Furthermore, many early-build CH-53s were refitted with more powerful engines, while others were reconfigured for different mission roles, such as US presidential flights, training, and airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) operations. Several export deals for the CH-53 were made, leading to several international operators of the type. Amongst the most prolific of these are Germany, Iran, and Israel.