CH-53K
The Marine Corps' heavy-lift helicopter, built to move a dispersed force across Pacific islands.
VIDEO · WARTECHXWATCH ON YOUTUBE →
ROLE
Heavy-lift helicopter moving artillery, fuel and vehicles between islands without runways.
STRENGTHS
- 36,000 lb maximum external lift
- Three T408 engines for hot, high conditions
- Our analysis: fits the Marines' dispersed island concept
WEAKNESSES
- About $136 million per aircraft, average procurement cost
- Slow and exposed in contested airspace
- A 200-aircraft fleet for the distances of the Pacific
The CH-53K King Stallion lifts nearly triple the CH-53E's load in hot, high conditions, the Navy says. For a Marine Corps that plans to fight from small, scattered island bases in the Pacific, moving artillery, fuel and vehicles without a runway is the whole point.
At an average procurement cost of about 136 million dollars each, it is one of the most expensive military helicopters in US service, which is the trade-off the paired video examines.