Sikorsky S-58

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation · United States · first flew 1954 · helicopter

The Sikorsky S-58 (military designation CH-34 Choctaw, HUS-1 Seahorse) was a large single-engine piston helicopter widely used by US and allied armed forces for assault, anti-submarine, and utility missions in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	16.69 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Single large piston engine in long nose
Four-blade main rotor
Military versions include UH-34 Seahorse / HUS-1 Choctaw

Recognisable by its long nose housing the Wright R-1820 radial engine, four-blade main rotor, and the angled tail boom with conventional tail rotor.

Specifications

The Sikorsky S-58 has a length of 16.69 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 17.07 m (56 ft).
Its maximum speed is 198 km/h (123 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

Developed as a larger follow-on to the S-55, the S-58 first flew in March 1954 and entered US Navy service in 1955. It was produced in large numbers and licence-built in France by Sud-Aviation and in the UK by Westland as the Wessex.

Variants

Military variants include the US Army CH-34 Choctaw, Navy HSS-1 Seabat (ASW), and Marine HUS-1 Seahorse; the Westland Wessex was a turbine-powered British development. Sud-Aviation also built it under licence.

Where you'll see it

Extensively used by US forces in Korea's aftermath and early Vietnam; operated by more than 25 nations including France, Germany, and Israel. The Wessex variant served the UK for decades.

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