Credit: U.S. Marine Corps/ Lance Cpl. Molly Hampton.
The CH-53K King Stallion, the Marine Corps’ latest heavy-lift helicopter, is finally ready for production. After years of development, it will relieve the Corps’ 40-year-old CH-53E. Just one problem: The King Stallions will end up costing $138.5 million apiece—even more expensive than the notoriously costly F-35.
The CH-53 series dates back to the 1960s, when they were used by the Marine Corps in Vietnam and the Air Force for combat search and rescue. The current edition, CH-53E Super Stallion, was introduced in 1974 and still serves in the Marines today.
The latest upgrade is called the CH-53K King Stallion and can carry a 27,000-pound load slung underneath up to 110 miles in “high and hot” conditions (think Afghanistan). That’s enough lift to carry two armored Humvees or a LAV-25 light armored vehicle, and more than three times the capacity of its predecessor, the CH-53E. It can carry Humvees, two 20,000 pound pallets, or infantry internally. The helicopter has […]
Neat helicopter, very demented government, MIC. If only it was designed to carry 27000 lbs of food instead of death machines…oops, still not worth it! Stephan has let slip his profound underqualification to be a psychopathic warmonger by including this article!
Unfortunately, if you vote and pay taxes, you consent to and support the war machine. Don’t do the latter and you will likely end up in a prison run by the agents of the state.