Military and Strategic Journal
Issued by the Directorate of Morale Guidance at the General Command of the Armed Forces
United Arab Emirates
Founded in August 1971

2018-12-02

CH-53K King Stallion: A Legacy is not Built Overnight

Following in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors, the new heavy lifter the CH-53K King Stallion further advances Sikorsky’s 50 years of manufacturing and operational success. Built for both the modern battlefield and shipboard operations, the CH-53K is designed to survive as an intelligent, reliable and low-maintenance aircraft thriving in the most austere and remote forward-operating bases.
 
The CH-53K helicopter has been designed and built to the exacting standards of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to serve as its critical land and sea-based logistics connector. As the USMC’s heavy lift replacement for the CH-53E, it will transport Marines, heavy equipment and supplies during ship-to-shore movement in support of amphibious assault and subsequent operations taking place ashore. 
 
The new heavy lifter is the most powerful helicopter in the U.S. Department of Defence in allowing the U.S. Marine Corps and international militaries to move troops and equipment from ship to shore more quickly and effectively than ever before, including from higher altitude terrain. As a new-build helicopter, the CH-53K will thus expand the fleet’s ability to move more material more rapidly throughout the area of responsibility using proven and mature technologies.  
 
The CH-53K is currently on track to provide an initial operating capability to the USMC in 2019 based on a procurement objective of 200 helicopters. The CH-53K Test Flight team benefits from the most experienced and seasoned engineers, pilots, maintainers and support staff, with the helicopter continuing to execute key performance, test and production milestones successfully, including more than 1,200 test hours of high altitude, hot temperature and degraded visual environment flight in 2018. 
 
Multiple Mission Capability
The CH-53K helicopter is the ideal choice for handling humanitarian aid missions as well as troop transport, casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), support of special operations forces and combat search and rescue (CSAR). No matter the mission, this heavy-lift aircraft provides the highest degree of safety for its crew and occupants in every possible condition. 
 
External Cargo Handling
The CH-53K can carry a 12,200 kg/27,000 lb external load over 204 km/110 nautical miles in high/hot conditions (33°C/91.5°F at an altitude of 914m/3,000 feet).  
The helicopter is designed to lift triple the baseline CH-53E capability with an equivalent logistics shipboard footprint, but this time with lower operating costs per aircraft and less direct maintenance man hours per flight hour. 
 
Expanded Cabin Flexibility
The CH-53K’s external lift capabilities are accompanied by a wider cabin (30 cm/12 in) for transporting more cargo or troops with fewer trips. The larger cabin can carry 463L pallets and High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) to offer flexible configurations for maximum mission effectiveness. It also facilitates the loading/unloading of cargo without reconfiguring or removing troop seating.
 
CH-53K’s Unique Features
The CH-53K King Stallion builds on Sikorsky’s 50-year legacy of heavy lift solutions. Yet a legacy is not built overnight, but forged from the operational success of legends who first started down this path. 
 
Known as the K, this heavy-lift helicopter has the vast capability to deliver critical combat support to remote regions, which it can do by flying at extended ranges with a full cabin of troops, supplies and munitions in tow. With its cutting-edge cockpit, the K can navigate degraded visual environments (DVE) with pinpoint accuracy, then serving as the anchor point for diverse, multinational humanitarian aid, casualty evacuation and combat search-and-rescue missions amongst others. 
 
Breaking Heavy-Lift Records 
Boasting a cabin 12 inches wider at the floor than its closest competitor, the King Stallion is capable of lifting a whopping 36,000 pounds externally. The cockpit innovation means that this CH-53K model carries more with fewer trips, fewer aircraft and with increased mission flexibility.
 
The Smart Helicopter 
The CH-53K has been designed from the ground upwards to operate seamlessly in today’s digital world. By leveraging technology like Sikorsky’s advanced fly-by-wire flight control systems, the K ensures ease of operation while reducing pilot workload significantly and enhancing effectiveness in the most demanding situations, including DVEs.
 
Mean Turboshaft Horsepower 
Three General Electric turboshaft engines deliver 22,500 total horsepower under the CH-53K’s hood. In fact, counting the H-60 Black Hawk, S-92, S-76, Raider and Defiant, the combined power of all of Sikorsky’s production and development models is equal to the power of one CH-53K.  
 
Big Data’s Heavy Lifter
The CH-53K utilises the Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) to provide active monitoring and diagnostic capabilities as an innovative means of ensuring reliability and availability.  With this maintainer in mind, the CH-53K was designed as a combat aircraft to ease maintenance duties and reduce the time required to make repairs, so enhancing aircraft availability and reducing operating costs.
 
Marine Corps Customisation
Now facing the 21st century battlefield, the CH-53K’s strong heavy-lift legacy has been transformed to meet the U.S. Marine Corps’ future warfighting requirements. In response, the K improves aircraft, aircrew and passenger survivability while increasing performance and reliability.
 
Strengthening International Partnerships
International investment in the CH-53K also benefits allies of the United States. Now the K is ready to serve not only domestically but abroad, Marines and militaries worldwide have been greatly empowered to move troops and equipment from ship to shore at a higher, quicker and more effective level than ever before.
 
Strong, Powerful Collaboration
In the name of delivering a world-class heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-53K programme has been built on a firm foundation of partnership, purpose and collaboration: the German Air Force’s "Schwerer Transporthubschrauber" (STH) programme. 
 
Earlier in 2018, Sikorsky announced this industrial partnership to compete to supply the CH-53K King Stallion to the German Air Force. Rheinmetall Group has since entered into an exclusive arrangement with Sikorsky to lead in-service support for the K.
 
Sikorsky’s German industrial partners will play a key role in propelling the CH-53K forward and indeed, the CH-53K took centre stage at ILA Berlin 2018 to mark its international debut. ILA saw Sikorsky and its partners showcase their plans for the long-term sustainment of the CH-53K by German aerospace industry, so optimising maintenance and repair for the German Air Force over decades to come.
 
Sikorsky’s collaboration on the legacy fleet of the CH-53G also means that it benefits from a strong relationship with the ‘Bundeswehr’, or German Armed Forces. The CH-53K will enable the German Armed Forces to build on this established legacy and conduct bona fide heavy lift operations in some of the most austere, hard-to-reach environments.
 
"The CH-53K is one of the most modern and capable heavy lift helicopter ever built and has the ability to fly for the next 50 years performing ever expanding combat, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions," said Dan Schultz, president of Sikorsky, who is keen to provide the German Armed Forces with the most reliable, effective heavy lifter. "We look forward to our partnership with German industry to bring true heavy lift capability to every aspect of the German Armed Forces."
 
The German companies participated in the CH-53K industry chalet at ILA Berlin are: Rheinmetall, MTU, ZF Luftfahrttechnik GmbH, Autoflug, HYDRO Systems KG, Rockwell Collins Germany, Jenoptik, Hensoldt, Liebherr and Rohde & Schwarz. Now Sikorsky and Rheinmetall, its exclusive teammate for in-service support, are on the lookout for additional German defence companies to contribute to the sustainment of the helicopter in Germany.
 
The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is seeking to field the CH-53K as a production platform for a fully-operational aircraft in 2019 meaning that by the time Germany receives its first aircraft, the CH-53K will have been in service with the USMC for five years. The King Stallion will hence provide the German Armed Forces with a proven helicopter that can be introduced to service seamlessly without the need for upgrades over the next several decades.
 
Sikorsky has recently been awarded a $717 million performance-based logistics contract to provide supply and logistics support to the entire fleet of in-service CH-53E Super Stallions and MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters. The contract will provide the vital and affordable support to the entire fleet by expanding a reliable base of long-term sustainment, being that the aircraft will continue to operate fully until the introduction of the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion as its replacement aircraft. 
 
Reference Text/Photo
 

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