The new "Beast" of the Marine's CH-53K is becoming alive.

Gestart door Harald, 14/02/2014 | 21:28 uur

Harald

USMC's CH-53 fleet is in bad shape   (serieuze inzet problemen,.... zou dit het invoeren van de King Stallion versnellen.? )
(alhoewel het King Stallion project ook zeker niet zonder problemen is , met kostenoverschrijdingen en planningsproblemen)

An independent study sanctioned by the U.S. Marine Corps on its CH-53E fleet found it worn out and in need of serious attention

http://alert5.com/2016/02/25/usmcs-ch-53-fleet-is-in-bad-shape/

originele artikel, zeer uitgebreid :
http://pilotonline.com/news/military/nation/super-stallion-helicopters-worn-out-after-years-of-war-internal/article_21ac9e27-b678-5f64-ae46-be5c33f65755.html

Harald


Harald


Sparkplug

Update: USMC Aviation Plan identifies 10-year gap between CH-53K IOC and FOC

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | 31 January 2016

The US Marine Corps (USMC) Aviation Plan 2016 reveals a decade gap between the introduction into service of the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, and the service's declaration of full operating capability (FOC) for the type.


Seen on its maiden flight in October 2015, the CH-53K will enter service with the USMC in 2019 and achieve full operating capability in 2029. (Sikorsky)

According to the plan released on 28 January, deliveries of the planned 200 helicopters are set to commence in fiscal year (FY) 2019 (the same year that initial operational capability [IOC] will be declared), with FOC not expected to follow until FY 2029.

IOC is defined by the marines as "when the first squadron receives four CH-53K aircraft with required personnel suitably trained and certified, required primary and support equipment and technical publications, to include initial spares with interim repair support and initial training in place, ready to deploy in accordance with USMC standards", with FOC defined as "the transition of the last active component squadron".

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(143 of 707 words)

http://www.janes.com/article/57607/update-usmc-aviation-plan-identifies-10-year-gap-between-ch-53k-ioc-and-foc
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Second Sikorsky CH-53K 'almost ready' to join test campaign

By James Drew, Washington DC | 23 December 2015

After a slow start, the Sikorsky CH-53K development project is gathering pace at West Palm Beach, Florida, with sixth test flights and counting since initial lift-off in late October and a second aircraft almost complete.

The US Marine Corps announced this week that one of its own pilots flew the King Stallion, taking over from Sikorsky's test team for the first time.

Lt Col Jonathan Morel of USMC Air Test and Evaluation Squadron-21 took the first engineering and manufacturing development aircraft (EMD-1) on the 1.5h trial run to assess its mechanical stability and flight control responses in hover.

Col Hank Vanderborght, the service's programme chief for heavy-lift helicopters, says in a statement that the second aircraft is almost ready to join the 2,000h flight test campaign, and the wider programme remains on track to achieve initial operational capability in 2019.

Built to replace the long-serving Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, the K-model has three times the lifting capacity of its predecessor and is essentially a new aircraft with new engines, new fuselage structure, new rotor system, new avionics and fly-by-wire flight controls.


Sikorsky CH-53K
US Marine Corps

Sikorsky engineers have carried out extensive modelling and simulation of how the aircraft is supposed to handle, and Morel says it came "very close" to the mark during his flight, with "stable and predictable" handling qualities.

The development programme was initiated in 2005 and then delayed, but the service is now confident of hitting its revised initial readiness goal in 2019 and is intent on buying 200 total aircraft, as planned.

Congress reduced programme funding by $40 million in Fiscal 2016 to $592 million due to "programme execution," probably to account for delays in achieving first flight this year.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/second-sikorsky-ch-53k-almost-ready-to-join-test-c-420336/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

dudge


Sparkplug

Sikorsky's CH-53K lifts off after troubled start

By James Drew, Washington DC | 27 October 2015

Sikorsky's CH-53K King Stallion has finally reached "day one" of its 2,000h flight test programme after a maiden 30min flight this morning at the company's development flight centre in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The flight comes about one year late, and nine years after Sikorsky received the system design and development contract from the Marine Corps to produce a replacement for the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion.

The H-53K looks similar to its predecessor, but is actually a brand new fly-by-wire, glass cockpit aircraft that can lift 12.2t (27,000lbs), or triple the weight of the E-model.

Once deployed with the US Marine Corps, officials say it will revolutionise the way the service fights wars and will be the largest helicopter in the US military's toolbox. The first flight at 8:02am local time on 27 October marks the start of a three-year flight test programme, with the first four engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) assigned to that mission.

The programme has been plagued by delays – some programmatic and budgetary and others technical. Sikorsky had hoped to fly EMD-1 last December, but several issues including problems will main rotor gear box pushed the event back.


Sikorsky's CH-53K took flight at the company's development centre in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 27 October.

Sikorsky

USMC program manager for heavy-lift helicopters Col Hank Vanderborght says the initial operational capability milestone planned for 2019 is still achievable with four aircraft despite the delay. However, he expects a three-month delay to being ready for a Milestone C review by the Pentagon – a decision point that approves the entry into low-rate initial production. The current estimate places that decision in January 2017.

Vanderborght and Michael Torok, vice-president of Sikorsky's Ch-53K programme, says the potential production gap caused by the development delay has been bridged with additional orders for four "SDTA" aircraft to support operational test and evaluation.

Another two are being purchased for US Naval Air Systems Command's VMX-22 test and evaluation squadron. The contract for long-lead parts for that fifth and sixth helicopter was recently awarded to Sikorsky and the full procurement contract is expected in 2016, officials say.

"We're being mindful of the costs associated with shutting down a production line, and we're basically following the programme plan we've had all along," says Vanderborght.

To achieve Milestone C, Sikorsky must demonstrate the aircraft's full performance against the requirements set at the start of the programme, such as lifting 12.2t and carrying a 5.4t (12,000lbs) payload 110nm.

In terms of the next flight of EMD-1, Torok expects flights to occur "every couple of weeks" as data from each flight is processes and compared against engineering predictions and computer models. The company has already clocked 230 flight test hours on its H-53K ground test vehicle.

"The pacing won't be set by the aircraft; it will actually be the data itself," he says. "There is a significant amount of instrumentation on this aircraft, in fact far more than we've had on any of our other Sikorsky programmes."

Despite the slow start, USMC still intends to procure 200 King Stallions with full-rate production expected in 2020.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/sikorskys-ch-53k-lifts-off-after-troubled-start-418268/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Navy Acquisition Czar: Sikorsky CH-53K to fly 'this fall'

By James Drew, Washington DC | September 11, 2015

The US Navy's acquisition chief expects the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion to take its first flight this fall, placing the long-awaited milestone somewhere between now and November.

The super-heavy-lift helicopter for the Marine Corps has seen its share of technical troubles and delays, but the navy is still targeting an initial operational capability date of 2019.

The aircraft, which began development in 2006, was meant to be approved for "Milestone C" low-rate initial production and deployment in 2012, but the target was revised to 2016 due to budgeting and development issues with further postponements likely unless the first CH-53K can get off the ground this year.

"Right now we're looking towards first flight of that aircraft this fall," Sean Stackley, navy assistant secretary for research, development and acquisition, said at a Navy League forum 9 September.

The first flight had been expected in 2014, but technical problems with the gearbox and drive shaft have delayed the event from late 2014 to mid-2015 and then "sometime this year".

The first aircraft was unveiled in May 2014, and the ground testing that followed unearthed several critical issues that must be resolved prior to first flight.

Lt Gen Jon Davis, Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation, told Flightglobal at a Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) forum in Washington last month the aircraft should fly by the end of the calendar year and the 2019 IOC date is still achievable.

"When I got here a year ago it was 2019 and it's still 2019," he says. "First flight is this year. Congress gave us [funding for] two airplanes for test assets and right now the programme's on track."

Asked whether the gearbox issue or any other problems will further delay the programme, Davis said no. "It's normal stuff; normal developmental stuff. I'd be the first to pull the plug, but I don't see anything to say we're not going to make first flight this year," he says.

The Marine Corps plans to purchase almost 200 CH-53Ks to meet its expeditionary vertical heavy-lift requirement, replacing the war-weary CH-53E Super Stallion.

The King Stallion is one of several helicopter programmes caught up in the Lockheed Martin's acquisition of Sikorsky from United Technologies – a $9 billion transaction the Defense Department says it is closely monitoring.

Speaking at the same CSIS event, naval air forces commander Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker said the transfer of Sikorsky did not worry him, so long as Lockheed continues to produce and sustain the aircraft it is supposed to. For him, that includes CH-53K and the VH-92 Presidential Helicopter. For sustainment, the main programmes are CH-53E and the H-60 variants, as well as upkeep of the VH-3D Sea King of Marine Helicopter Squadron One.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/navy-acquisition-czar-sikorsky-ch-53k-to-fly-this-416658/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Harald

US Navy to begin LRIP talks for CH-53K helo

The US Navy (USN) is to begin negotiations with Sikorsky for the low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, the service disclosed on 8 January.

According to a notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, Lots 1 and 2 will be negotiated for two and four LRIP helicopters respectively. The intended contract will be initially issued as an Advance Acquisition Contract (AAC) in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 for long-lead items in support of the subsequent production buys.

The announcement of the imminent commencement of LRIP negotiations follows the official roll-out of the CH-53K in May 2014. The operational evaluation (OPEVAL) phase of the programme is expected to begin in early-2017, with the first of an expected 200 production helicopters due to be delivered to the US Marine Corps (USMC) from about 2019.

Although about the same size as the CH-53E currently in service, the CH-53K is promoted as being able to lift nearly triple the external payload. Other enhancements include a 'glass cockpit', fly-by-wire flight controls, upgraded rotor blades to improve lift and speed performance, a low-maintenance rotorhead, more powerful engines, a locking cargo rail system, external cargo-handling improvements, as well as survivability upgrades. Operation and support costs should also be much lower than is currently the case with the older model helicopters.

ANALYSIS

News that LRIP negotiations for the CH-53K are about to begin will come as a welcome fillip to officials given the delays that have beset the programme.
Under the original schedule, Sikorsky had intended that the first flight would take place in mid-2011. This was delayed to 2014, and is now expected to occur later in 2015. Initial operating capability, which was originally scheduled for 2015, will not now occur until 2019 at the earliest.
In addition to the delays, costs for the programme have risen by several billion, although it should be noted that much of this increase was caused by the US government's decision to increase its planned production orders to accommodate USMC growth.
Despite such issues, the CH-53K will be a highly effective heavy-lift helicopter for the USMC when it does enter service, and Sikorsky can be confident of securing export orders with current CH-53 operators, such as Germany and Japan.

http://www.janes.com/article/47857/us-navy-to-begin-lrip-talks-for-ch-53k-helo


jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Giddy up: Marine Corps is ready to take its 'King Stallion' for a test ride

By Douglas Ernst  - The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Marine Corps' "King Stallion" CH-53K heavy lift helicopter is about to exit the gates and fly for the first time.

The CH-53K will go through its final battery of tests before it officially replaces the CH-53E next year.

The Sikorsky-supplied aircraft can carry 27,000 pounds — more than triple the CH-53E's capability — for distances up to 110 nautical miles.

"We're basically putting the aircraft through the flight regimes that the flying aircraft will see and really testing out the transmissions, and the dynamic components on the aircraft, the fuel systems and any subsystem on the aircraft is being put through its paces," Col. Hank Vanderborght, H-53 helicopters program manager for the Naval Air Systems Command, told Military.com on Tuesday.

Once tests are complete, the aircraft will be used in support of special Marine Air Ground Task Force on combat and humanitarian missions, the defense website reported.

"What the CH-53K represents is not just the continuation of heavy-lift capability but really a transformation of what we are going to be able to do. It is going to ensure that the Marine Corps remains our most ready force," Maj. Eric Purcell told Military.com.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/22/marine-corps-super-stallion-heavy-lift-helicopter-/#!

Elzenga

Ik denk dat de JSS wel 4 CH-53Ks mee zou kunnen nemen..opgevouwen. Maar dan ben je er in jouw scenario nog niet of het duurt veel langer. Dus of je moet de capaciteit flink uitbreiden...sommigen pleiten dan ook voor aanschaf van 2 (grote of kleine) LHDs....of je ambitieniveau ligt lager in deze.

dudge

Citaat van: Harald op 12/05/2014 | 13:39 uur
Dat zou ik nou niet willen zeggen, we hebben een tekort aan amph aviation helicopters !

Hangt af van je manier van optreden.

Citaat van: Harald op 12/05/2014 | 13:39 uur
2 stuks LPD en een JSS daar kunnen we voldoende helicopter capaciteit op kwijt, lijkt me
Dat vind ik juist het probleem binnen de NL-defensie, te eenzijdig. Juist eerst met helicopters een bruggehoofd/versterkte landingplek maken en dan met LCU's materieel en materiaal aan landzetten.
Zeker als een zone/plek creeert welke verder landinwaards ligt, dan heb je meer aan helicopters dan aan LCU's 
Dat is het volgende punt waar je dan tegen aanloopt, de vuurondersteuning voor je landingstroepen. Als je operatie's vanaf schepen gaat ondernemen moet je gewoon ook bescherming hebben voor zowel je grond- als je vliegende eenheden (helicopters).

Ok, we hebben het dus over een situatie waarin we landinwaards willen optreden >30km, zonder over de weg te gaan, waarbij we het gebied in nemen om te blijven, en dus niet voor een raid. Daarbij hebben we wat zwaar materieel nodig.

Fictief:
Als luchtmobiel die zou doen komen er eerst 4 Apache's, die schakelen alle bekende en onderkende doelen in het gebied uit.
Vervolgens komen er 6 Cougars met 2 Apache's, deze leveren de eerste Cie af, die het doel in gaat nemen. vervolgens gaan ze weer terug.
Daarna komen er 2 Apaches met 4 Chinooks, die op de inmiddels iets veiligere LZ meer mensen afzetten.
Weer 2 Apaches met 4 Chinooks die wederom extra mensen en een aantal ondersteunende eenheden komt brengen (bv Mortieren, LSV, KTM etc).
Dan komt er nog een groep van 4 Chinooks en 2 apaches die een stafelement, uitrusting van de eerder gelande eenheden(hadden alleen klein rugzakje bij zich), wat deltaspul etc.
Dan komen er nog 4 Apaches om de overwatch weer over te nemen, en daarna nogmaals.

Er zijn honderden vormen voor zo'n operatie mogelijk, maar dit zou kunnen.
Dan hebben we het over:
-16 apaches + wat verder nog nodig is.
-6 Cougars
-12 Chinooks

Als NL een taakgroep gaat samenstellen, dan is het maximaal haalbare iets in de richting van 1 LPD, 1 JSS, 3 LCF, 1 MPF, 2 OPV.

De 6 NH90's aan boord van de schepen zijn tbv beeldopbouw (radar) en ASW.
Ik lees dat een JSS 6 NH90's of 2 Chinooks met gespreide rotors mee kan nemen. Dus laten we zeggen dat de JSS 2 CH53K en een Apache aan boord heeft. De LPD neemt dan 4 NH90's en 2 Apaches mee.

natuurlijk kun je er leuke dingen mee, maar het zijn te weinig apaches om continu aanwezig te kunnen zijn en escorte te kunnen leveren, het zijn te weinig heli's om snel voldoende mensen in het gebied te krijgen, laat staan zwaar materieel.

Dus ik denk dat we niet alleen te weinig heli's hebben voor dergelijke operaties, we hebben op dit moment ook te weinig capaciteit om ze amfibisch in te zetten in zo'n scenario.

Citaat van: Harald op 12/05/2014 | 13:39 uur
Even naar NL gekeken is een CH-53K idd prachtig, maar een brug te ver. Het is dan beter om een slag kleiner type helicopter aan te schaffen welke dan beide missie's kan uitvoeren, zoals bijvoorbeeld een Battlehawk. 

Inderdaad, meerwaarde heeft hij zeker, maar gezien de prijs zijn er andere prioriteiten/capaciteiten waar het budget meer tot zijn recht zal komen.

En dat zal denk ik niet alleen voor Nederland gelden, maar voor veel landen.

Ace1

Even de verschillen tussen de  CH-46 Sea Knight en de CH-47 Chinook.








Ace1

Citaat van: Thomasen op 12/05/2014 | 13:12 uur
De britten vliegen met hun Chinooks vanaf hun LHD, tijdens de Falkland oorlog werden de Chinooks met een containerschip naar het gebied gebracht en zouden daar land-based opereren. Helaas werd het containerschip (atlantic conveyer) gezonken voor de heli's van boord konden worden gehaald.

Jou verhaal klopt net helemaal er was toen een  Chinook onbeschadigd en deze heeft toen zonder onderhoud de gehele  Falkland oorlog gevlogen.

Dit is mijn bron

http://www.bol.com/nl/p/onder-vuur/1001004001651765/

Ace1

Citaat van: Mourning op 12/05/2014 | 12:56 uur
Ik zou toch zweren dat de CH46 Sea Knight ook nog steeds bij het USMC in gebruik is en anders moet de Chinook toch ook aan te passen zijn zodat er in ieder geval korte periodes achtereen vanaf schepen mee kan worden geopereerd en anders... tough luck!

De  CH-46 Sea Knight wordt in 2019 uitgefaseerd bij het  USMC, dan is de  V-22 Osprey vloot compleet binnen het  USMC.