fuselage section and the main rotor pylon,
and engine nacelles are produced by Aurora
Flight Sciences, while the tail rotor pylon,
horizontal stabiliser and sponsons are built by
Albany Engineered Composites.
Improved landing gear, produced by
Héroux Devtek, is fitted, but the CH-53K’s deck
footprint remains unchanged from the ’53E.
Based on the US Army’s Common Avionics
Architecture System (CAAS), the type’s ‘glass’
cockpit was developed by Rockwell Collins.
The electronic flight instrument system (EFIS)
provides five MFD 268 multifunction liquid-
crystal flight displays and two CDU-7000
control/display units. Additionally, a UTC
Aerospace Systems Integrated Vehicle Health
Management System (IVHMS) is incorporated.
Developed by Hamilton Sundstrand, the
CH-53K’s triple-redundant ‘fly-by-wire’ flight
control system features advanced stability
augmentation, flight control modes that
include attitude command velocity hold,
automated approach to a stabilised hover,
position hold and precision tasks in degraded
visual environments, and tactile cueing.
Defensive systems include three GAU-
21 0.5in (12.7mm) machine guns, ballistic
protection and aircraft survivability equipment
(ASE), which comprises the AN/APR-39
Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)/Electronic
Warfare Management System, AN/AAQ-
24 Directional Infrared Countermeasures
(DIRCM), AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System
(MWS) and the AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures
Dispensing System (CDS).IN FLIGHT
Sikorsky unveiled the first of four YCH-53K
EDMs during a ceremony at its Florida
test facility, on May 5, 2014, when the then
Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen
James F Amos, announced the heavy-lifter
had been named King Stallion.
A 55-minute maiden flight was made by
YCH-53K EDM-1 on October 27, 2015, marking
the start of a 2,000-hour flight assessment
programme involving all four EDMs.
The first flight was delayed for more than
a year following the discovery of a crack in
a ground test article gearbox. Evaluations
of the redesigned gearbox began in August
2015 and more than 200 hours of trials in the
GTV preceded the initial lift-off.
The second and third EDMs began testing
on January 22, and June 21, 2016 and on
August 31 the fourth aircraft began work.
The YCH-53K first carried an external load
on April 20, 2016 when a 12,000lb (5,443kg)
payload was lifted. As part of the incremental
flight expansion tests, a 20,000lb (9,071kg)
external load was lifted on May 26, 2016, and a
27,000lb (12,247kg) payload followed on June- The out-of-ground-effect (OGE) external
load test was conducted 100ft (30.48m) above
the ground, while the helicopter performed
Right: US Marine Corps pilots manoeuvre a
YCH-53K carrying a 12,000lb external load
after completing a 110nm mission during the
King Stallion’s two-week initial operational
test (OT-B1) in October 2016.
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 31Although the King Stallion has the same physical footprint as the earlier CH-53E, it provides
a major increase in external lift capacity and performance over the Super Stallion.The YCH-53K test programme is gradually transferring to NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland. Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky Aircraft28-32_ch53kDC.mf.indd 31 03/04/2018 17:25