Marine 'Stallion' Copter Requires Care

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050126/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_super_stallion&cid=519&ncid=1480


<snip>

The helicopter, the largest in the U.S. military inventory, is used to haul heavy cargo or dozens of troops. It has seen action around the world.


But the military plans to replace the Super Stallion with a helicopter that is easier to maintain, said John Milliman, a spokesman for the Naval Air Systems Command. For every hour the Super Stallion flies, it requires 44 man-hours of maintenance, he said.


Built by Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., the three-engine helicopter cost $39 million apiece when the last one was delivered in 2003. It costs $14,000 an hour to fly, Milliman said.

<snip>

Before Wednesday, the Marines had 151 CH-53Es, he said. The average CH-53E in the Marines' inventory is almost 16 years old; the oldest in the fleet was built in 1980, the newest, in 1999.

[lazarus]

1. 44 hours of maintenance for an hour of ops?

I'm reminded of the superweapons (mostly artillery) the Germans developed in the two World Wars. Beautiful pieces of machinery, works of art, that required a battalion just to get a shot off.

[sweetheart]

2. so i guess it means they have 150 now

At least they're saving 1* 14,000 per hour... i'm sure the republicans
are pleased... plus all those salaries they're saving as well.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Damn this thing is big

I had this naive notion that perhaps some sort of gigantic inlfatable cushioning system could be used to soften a crash, but this thing is a monster.
Meanwhile, the costs of building and operating it are also obscene.

[theresistance]

4. I suppose such a big machine would be expensive

but I wonder how much those big Russian helicopters cost? I bet about half the price.

[Redstone]

8. The big Russian helicopters are cheaper, but

they're hideously dangerous to fly (nowhere near as stable as the -53; though it's not exactly right to use the word "stable" regarding any helicopter).

Redstone

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Related article: "Mishaps mar helicopter's long history" (IRAN 1980)

"The Marine Corps CH-53E that crashed yesterday in western Iraq is the military's most powerful helicopter and a rugged workhorse. But the storied history of the CH-53 program has been marred by some notable mishaps.

Mechanical failures of an earlier model CH-53 during intense sand storms in 1980 were the primary reason for the disastrous failure of the attempt to rescue hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran...."

http://signonsandiego.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=SignOnSanDiego.com+%3E+In+Iraq+--+Mishaps+mar+helicopter%27s+long+history&expire=&urlID=13016128&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.signonsandiego.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Firaq%2F20050127-9999-1n27safety.html&partnerID=621

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. Yes, a Ch53 was involved in that incident, but it did not help

that a USAF C-130 pilot who had never flown in darkness before crashed into the rotor blades.

Says me, a survivor of a CH53 crash in the Phillipines in 1979.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. It also did not help that it was a multi-service operation

But I will leave that to more expert opinion.... http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id8.html

As it was one of the helos never even made it to the desert operations base due to mechanical concerns.