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#2080

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1974· heavy-lift cargo helicopter

🚁 helicopter 3× turboshaft ✓ still flying
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. US Navy 080710-N-5148B-031 A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 165 prepares to land on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5): U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sarah E. Bitter· Public domain
  2. 2. A CH-53E Super Stallion with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit: Sgt. Seth Starr· Public domain
  3. 3. A close-up left side view of a Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 4 (HC-4) CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in flight - DPLA - 03ef40fa0a64c387c3d5d7f554937278: Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994· Public domain
  4. 4. CH-53E Super Stallion HMM-466 in flight 1997: PHC(NAC) Douglas S. Bean, USN· Public domain
  5. 5. CH-53E mcas Miramar 2014: FOX 52· CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 6. CH-53K King Stallion behind a KC-130J during aerial refueling wake testing over the Chesapeake Bay: usmc.mil· CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 7. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (38234322382): Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA· CC BY-SA 2.0
  8. 8. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (S-65E-80), USA - Navy AN1241427: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation· GFDL 1.2
  9. 9. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion USMC 165503 FDK MD5: Acroterion· CC BY-SA 4.0
  10. 10. US Navy 030130-M-0000X-001 Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-772 (HMM-772) receive fuel from a KC-130 Hercules: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald.· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, photo 1 of 10
1/10 U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sarah E. Bitter· Public domain

what is it?

The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, and canting the tail rotor 20°. It was built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps.

How to recognise it: 3 turboshaft engines · 24.1 m main rotor

base stats

  • speed 315 km/htop speed
  • range 1,000 kmwithout refuelling
  • seats 55passengers
  • size 33.3 tmax take-off weight
  • built 234made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 52 years ago, in 1974.
  • Top speed is 2.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Rotor of 24.1 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • Range of 1,000 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight
1974
introduced
1981
status
still flying
number built
234
role
heavy-lift cargo helicopter
origin
🇺🇸 United States
makers
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
engines
3× General Electric T64-GE-416 / GE-416A / GE-419 / T64
crew
5
passengers
55
length
30.2 m
rotor diameter
24.1 m
height
8.5 m
max take-off weight
33.3 t
top speed
315 km/h
cruise speed
278 km/h
range
1,000 km
ceiling
5,639 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q856317, Wikipedia: Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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