CH-53K King Stallion

Sikorsky · United States · first flew 2015 · helicopter

The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion is the US military's heaviest helicopter, distinguished by its three engines and seven-blade main rotor.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	3 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Three engine intakes set around the main rotor mast atop the fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Three engine intakes set around the main rotor mast atop the fuselage
Seven-blade main rotor with wide composite blades
Canted tail rotor on a large sloped fin above a rear cargo ramp

Three engine intakes clustered around the mast and a seven-blade rotor distinguish it from twin-engine heavy lifters, and the canted tail rotor on a sloped fin confirms the type.

Specifications

The CH-53K King Stallion has a length of 30 m (98 ft).
It has a wingspan of 24.08 m (79 ft).
Its maximum speed is 315 km/h (196 mph).
Typical crew: 4 + 30 troops.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in October 2015, the King Stallion is a near-total redesign of the CH-53E with new GE T408 engines, composite blades, a glass cockpit and full fly-by-wire, roughly tripling the external lift of its predecessor.

Variants

It is a single principal variant for now, with an unmanned-capability path and export configurations under development.

Where you'll see it

Its primary operator is the US Marine Corps, which declared initial operating capability in April 2022. It is a US aircraft, not UK; Israel has selected it for delivery from around 2026, while Germany chose the Chinook instead.

Related aircraft

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