Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King

what is it?

The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engine anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engines. The Sea King has its origins in efforts by the United States Navy to counter the growing threat of Soviet submarines during the 1950s.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 turboshaft engines · 18.9 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 267 km/htop speed
• range 1,005 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 26passengers
• size 9,752 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,300made 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 67 years ago, in 1959.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Rotor of 18.9 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,005 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

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

spec sheet

first flight

1959-03-11

introduced

1961

retired

2006

status

still flying

number built

1,300

role

amphibious helicopter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Westland Helicopters

engines

2× General Electric T58-GE-10 / Gnome / T58

crew

2

passengers

26

length

16.7 m

rotor diameter

18.9 m

height

5.1 m

max take-off weight

9,752 kg

top speed

267 km/h

cruise speed

219 km/h

range

1,005 km

ceiling

4,481 m

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

family