Maneuvering a typical helicopter to do 360-degree turns while continuing to move
straight on its track, challenges even the most seasoned pilots. A maneuver like this
requires the pilot to simultaneously adjust multiple controls with their hands and feet,
in order to fine-tune the amount and direction of thrust generated by the main and tail rotors.
But in this case, the only adjustment the pilot has to do, is to step on the yaw control pedal.
That’s because the US military's largest and most powerful helicopter, the CH-53K King Stallion,
is the first and only heavy lift helicopter that has fly-by-wire controls. More on that
later. But in addition to this capability, the King Stallion can provide significantly more
lift capability compared to its predecessor, the CH-53E Super Stallion, and you gotta see this!
During its test phase, the King lifted progressively heavier payloads.
Here is a 4,000 lb concrete block being hooked up, which the helicopter could easily pick up.
Then an external payload of just under 12,000 lb was lifted and after some hovering was jettisoned,
but this next test really showcases the power of the King Stallion.
In February of 2018, the CH-53K successfully lifted 35,000 lb. That’s 3 times what the Super
Stallion could lift. You can tell it’s heavy by comparing the angle of the rotor blades,
with and without the heavy weight. It’s really pulling on the chopper!
Just like its predecessor, the King has 3 engines, but each engine has
a whopping 7,500 shp, an increase of over 70% compared to the Super Stallion.
This allows the King to easily transport a JLTV and other armored vehicles like the LAV-25,
something that would be considered an accomplishment if the Stallion did it!
In September of 2021, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter crashed near Bishop, California,
The downed helicopter weighed 15,200 lb, but having crashed at an altitude of approximately
12,000 feet above sea level made the recovery operation challenging.
But not challenging enough for the King Stallion which was only 2 months into its initial
operational testing at VMX-1, and had no issues lifting and delivering the damaged MH-60 … safely!
The King Stallion has the largest and most advanced rotor blades that
its manufacturer, Sikorsky, has ever produced.
Of course, these next-generation composite main rotor blades can fold and unfold automatically,
so that the CH-53K can fit inside the hangar of amphibious assault ships.
Afterall, the King Stallion is here to replace the Super Stallion. But the King can be transported
anywhere in the word, since it’s Strategic Lift Certified for the C-17 Globemaster and C-5 Galaxy.
That said, the King Stallion doesn't fit inside the C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft,
at least not in one piece. The helicopter needs to be partially disassembled,
where the main rotor components are loaded separately from the rest of the King Stallion.
This particular C-17 transported the CH-53K to the Berlin air show in June of 2022,
where the helicopter performed the maneuver that we saw at the beginning, called the Pirouette.
Pirouette is actually the name of this simple turn in ballet and also in figure skating.
The King Stallion can do the Pirouette, with ease – thanks to fly-by-wire,
the sponsor of today … I’m kidding. Don’t fast forward. There is no sponsor.
Fly-by-wire has been used in fixed-wing aircraft for quite some time, but they
are not yet common in helicopters. So what is this “fly-by-wire” exactly?
In traditional airplanes, the pilot moves mechanical levers to operate a
hydraulic control system, which is made up of many parts located across the aircraft.
But a fly-by-wire system gets rid of all those mechanical components. Instead,
the pilot's control inputs are interpreted by the flight computer, which calculates the
control surface positions required to achieve that outcome. This results in various combinations of
rudder, elevator, aileron, and engine controls in different situations using a closed feedback loop.
It’s a bit like comparing a gramophone,
which picks up and amplifies the sound fully mechanically,
to a record player, which has replaced most of the in-between mechanics, with electronics.
Fly-by-wire has many advantages.
It benefits engineers since they can take over 400 lb of mechanical systems out of the helicopter.
Remember, the only thing guaranteed about a mechanical system is that it will wear out.
Fly-by-wire results in eliminating approximately 370 mechanical parts that no longer require repair
or replacement. But its biggest advantage is the reduction of workload from the pilots.
Maneuvering a helicopter on its own is a challenging task. But when helicopter pilots are
coming into a landing zone, they become occupied with numerous tasks during their final descent.
Landing can be particularly tricky when there is reduced visibility due to sand or dust blowing.
According to pilots who have flown the King Stallion, doing external cargo lifts is much
easier when compared to the Super Stallion. Fly-by-wire controls simplify the process by
allowing pilots to easily hover in the same spot, while the payload is being hooked in.
This process typically requires a lot of communication with the team on the ground,
since the pilot can’t see what’s underneath the helicopter, and has to stay still.
On top of that, fly-by-wire systems can be designed to protect aircraft in the event of
incorrect or inadvertent control inputs from the pilot, which could prevent accidents.
Long story short, the fly-by-wire system on the King Stallion allows pilots to focus more
on their mission, by reducing the mental and physical workload that is usually required
to maneuver a helicopter, especially when they need to watch out for enemy threats.
The King stallion has a maximum speed of 200 mph, and a range of 530 miles.
For extended operation, it can be refueled in flight from a KC-130.
It can also refuel from a surface ship while in hover mode, and of course when on the ground.
The CH-53K can also operate at higher altitudes and hotter climates. But for the Marine Corps,
transitioning to this $124M flying machine is not without its challenges.
Probably the biggest learning curve will be with maintenance.
The King Stallion is a lot more system intensive compared to its predecessor. Any time a new
technology is introduced, there are always unexpected issues. For example, the King Stallion
had gas exhaust re-ingestion problems, which degraded the helicopter’s power significantly,
and there have been and there will be more issues that will surface, and get resolved.
This is why even though the King Stallion reached initial operational capability in 2019,
it would only reach full operational capability in 2029. In the meantime, Super Stallion Pilots
would need to be trained in order to transition to flying the King Stallion, which is going to
continue the legacy of heavy-lift helicopters that the US Marine Corps has been flying for decades.
So next time you hear a US Marine yell 53 Kilo, be aware, they are not walking
away from the imperial system and embracing metric. They are just calling their bird!