Citat:CH-53K | The King Stallion
The Marine Corps' CH-53K King Stallion is the future of Marine Corps rotor wing heavy lift. It is currently in developmental testing, which is scheduled to conclude in the spring of 2018.
Operational testing is slated to commence in the fall of 2018. The CH-53K is projected to reach initial operational capability in FY-19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlwUtUeL0TI
Citat:The Sikorsky CH-53K’s entry into low-rate production has been delayed again, this time by eight months to February 2017, because of gearbox failures last year and the late delivery of parts from suppliers, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports in its annual assessment of Pentagon weapon projects.
Citat:The CH-53K King Stallion helicopter achieves its first flight with an external load at Sikorsky's Development Flight Test Center in West Palm Beach, FL. (PRNewsFoto/Lockheed Martin)
Citat:In a significant milestone for the CH-53K programme, one of the two flight test aircraft at Sikorsky's plant in West Palm Beach, Florida has lifted a 5.4t (12,000lb) external load. The next step is to carry that external load at 120kt (222km/h) before switching to 9t (20,000lb) and eventually 12t (27,000lb) loads.
The ultimate goal is for the aircraft, designed with three GE Aviation T408-400 engines and seven composite main rotor blades, to carry a 12t payload over 110nm in the most difficult conditions helicopter — in density altitudes up to 6,000ft with temperatures up to 35°C (95°F).
The aircraft has three cargo hooks to carry independent loads or lift one 16t (36,000lb) load.
