In late 2022, the United States Marine Corps' newest helicopter performed a unique operational
test mission. The details of the demonstration, which took place at the Naval Air Station
Patuxent River in Maryland, were released weeks later along with accompanying images and video.
In the footage, the heavy-hauling CH-53K King Stallion from the USMC Operational
Test and Evaluation Squadron One can be seen successfully hoisting
a Navy-owned F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter prototype.
Though the King Stallion is designed to lift aircraft, this remarkable event marked the
first recorded instance of the helicopter hoisting an F-35 fighter of any variant,
demonstrating the impressive capabilities of one of the United States' most advanced aircraft…
Lift It Up
On December 13, 2022, a team from the United States Marines Corps’
Combat Logistics Battalion 24, part of the Combat Logistics Regiment 2,
2nd Marine Logistics Group, readied themselves for a unique Helicopter Support Team operation.
Anticipating the arrival of an F-35C Lightning II aircraft at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent
River, Maryland, Navy photographers and videographers captured the significant event.
Upon its arrival, the team performed a crane test lift, assessing the sling, rig, pitch,
bank attitudes, and various features of the jet, as well as control surface states,
to ensure the upcoming drill's safety for all participants.
In the images released the following January, along with the subsequently published video,
the Marines can be seen preparing the Navy’s first F-35C prototype, known as CF-01,
for airborne transport, attaching chains and other rigging to its airframe.
Afterward, the 22,000-pound F-35C was hooked to a Sikorsky CH-53K King
Stallion helicopter. The test was ready to begin.
Within moments, the massive helicopter can be seen lifting the jet into the air,
marking the first instance of such an operation with an aircraft of such size.
While specific details, such as the total flight duration,
distance traveled by the pair of aircraft, and other aspects were not disclosed, the Marines
of CLB-24 proudly posed for photos with the CF-01 after safely completing the exercise.
Team Effort
In an official press release, it was reported that the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter
achieved an extraordinary feat in collaboration with the NAS Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test
Force test team, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Cargo Lab, and other crucial teams.
By conducting load certification testing, sling configuration analysis,
and cargo characteristics documentation methods, the test force test team develops techniques and
procedures for future operations. The purpose of the lift was meant to evaluate the load and
inform subsequent lift capabilities. The data collected from these tests,
as stated in the press release, will shape the flight envelope for upcoming events.
The aircraft hoisted into the skies in December was an inoperable developmental
test carrier variant of the F-35C carrier jet, the first and only long-range stealth
strike fighter explicitly designed for Navy carrier operations.
This variant of the F-35C fighter jet had already accrued 750 flight hours during 450 test flights
between 2010 and 2016. After the removal of the aircraft's mission and propulsion systems,
outer wings, and additional equipment, the F-35C and rigging weighed about 22,000 pounds.
King of Kings
The CH-53K King Stallion’s feat was not really surprising,
as it is considered the most powerful helicopter ever developed by the United States government.
According to the official Sikorsky website,
the CH-53K King Stallion builds upon the company's last 50 years
of manufacturing and operational success with its predecessors: the CH-53A, CH-53D/G, and CH-53E.
A versatile helicopter with exceptional heavy-lift capabilities, the aircraft
surpasses all other Department of Defense rotary-wing aircraft in numerous ways.
Built specifically to thrive on the modern battlefield,
the CH-53K aircraft is engineered to be as intelligent, reliable, low maintenance,
and survivable as possible, meeting the exacting standards of the United States
Marine Corps as their crucial land and sea-based logistics connector.
This new heavy-duty lifter will allow the Marine Corps and other
international militaries to transport troops and equipment from ship to shore
and to higher altitude terrain more quickly and efficiently than previously imagined.
The King Stallion is designed to execute a wide array of missions,
including expeditionary assault transport of armored vehicles,
equipment, and personnel to support distributed operations deep inland from
a sea-based center of operations—critical in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Additional potential missions encompass humanitarian relief,
firefighting, and search and rescue.
On A Roll
The formidable King Stallion is set to be the only heavy-lift
helicopter in production through 2032 and beyond,
following a December 2022 decision by the Navy to commence full-rate production of the model.
Sikorsky will now ramp production to over 20 helicopters a year in
order to meet the Navy's demand for a new heavy-lift rotorcraft capability.
The December announcement also signifies the King Stallion's
entry into its deployment phase after a successful review of the program by
Frederick Stefany, the acting Navy secretary for Research, Development, and Acquisition.
The Marine Corps declared Initial Operational Capability for the helicopter in April of 2022,
when the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station New River,
North Carolina, became the first-ever operational squadron to receive,
maintain and operate the CH-53K King Stallion.
According to the official website, the King Stallion is on track to equip
its first unit and achieve full operational capability by 2029.
In addition, Israel has also chosen the CH-53K
King Stallion to replace its aging legacy CH-53 Yasur fleet.
Made For This
The December 2022 exercise was not the King Stallion's first heavy-duty lift.
Since 2018, the King Stallion test flight team has had some of Sikorsky's most experienced engineers,
pilots, maintainers, and support staff on call to ensure the CH-53K
successfully achieves all key performance, test, and production milestones on schedule.
In September of 2021, the CH-53K King Stallion performed its first-ever operational mission,
lifting a 15,000-pound Nav MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter from a
12,000-foot mountain top in California and transporting it 23 miles to Fallon, Nevada.
According to Colonel Kate Fleeger, the program manager for the Heavy Lift Helicopter Program
Office: [QUOTE] “This type of mission is precisely what the K was designed and built to do,[...]It
continues to prove its value in support of Marine Corps operations,
transporting equipment that no other rotary wing platform can lift.”
To date, the testing team has logged over 1,200 test flight hours,
accomplishing numerous significant milestones, including high altitude,
hot temperature, and degraded visual environment flights.
After these two exercises, the CH-53K was cleared to lift
27,000 pounds externally and is projected to lift up to 36,000 pounds - nearly three
times more under high and hot conditions than its predecessor, the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion.
As the program advances, the United States Navy may continue to share the promising King
Stallion’s journey through captivating footage of additional test flights.
In the coming years, this team will persist in demonstrating the King Stallion's
unparalleled capabilities, preparing it for operational service with the Navy,
especially as tensions in the Pacific potentially escalate.
And as the King Stallion continues to achieve milestones and advance toward full operational
capability, it promises to play a vital role in military and humanitarian operations worldwide.
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