Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion

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The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is a family of American heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was developed in response to a March 1962 request from the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons 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 essentially a scaled-up S-61R fitted with twin General Electric T64 turboshaft engines and the dynamic systems 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. In 1967, it first saw combat when it was deployed to the Vietnamese theater. 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...

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