--- title: "Israeli CH-53 Dropping Stricken UH-60 During Sling-Load Mishap Caught On Video" description: "The Israeli Black Hawk careened into the ground during a recovery operation following an emergency landing in the West Bank. The Israeli Black Hawk careened into the ground during a recovery operation following an emergency landing in the West Bank." date: "2026-01-16" modified: "2026-01-16" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/israeli-ch-53-dropping-stricken-uh-60-during-sling-load-mishap-caught-on-video" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "CH-53K" - "H-53" - "H-60" - "Helicopters" - "Israel" - "Israeli Air Force" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "UH-60" --- # Israeli CH-53 Dropping Stricken UH-60 During Sling-Load Mishap Caught On Video ![An Israeli CH-53 Sea Stallion military helicopter transporting the released Israeli hostages formerly held captive in Gaza since the 2023 October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants is pictured above the helipad at Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre in Ramat Gan on October 13, 2025.]() *Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images* Remarkable videos have emerged showing the dramatic failure of an Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter [sling-load operation](), involving a [CH-53 Sea Stallion]() carrying a [UH-60 Black Hawk](), resulting in the transported rotorcraft plummeting to the ground. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among any of the crew or on the ground, but the incident does illustrate the fine margins involved during [these kinds of missions](). https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/2012092137018650959?s=20 https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2012119291961675841?s=20 According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the sling-load operation was originally launched to recover an IAF [Yanshuf]() medium-lift helicopter — the local name for the S-70/UH-60 Black Hawk. The Yanshuf had made an emergency landing earlier this week when it encountered bad weather in the Gush Etzion area, directly south of Jerusalem, in the West Bank. ![]() *The Yanshuf is moved by the Yasur using the sling-load method. Note that the Yanshuf has its rotors removed and is trailing a drogue chute to stop it from rotating. *via X** Earlier today, a [Yasur]() (S-65/CH-53 Sea Stallion) heavy-lift helicopter was sent to recover the Yanshuf, using the [sling-load method](). It’s unclear what exactly went wrong at this point, but the IDF confirmed that the damaged aircraft became detached while being airlifted. ![]() *The Yanshuf plummets to the ground. *via X** Subsequent images reveal the Yanshuf lying on its side in rocky terrain, with the tail boom broken off, but otherwise largely intact. Nearby is another Yanshuf, which had landed at the crash site, having also been involved in the recovery effort. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/2012104513977794707?s=20 The chief of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, has ordered a military investigative committee to work out what happened. The CH-53 has long been a go-to platform for sling-load operations, most prominently with the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marine Corps, in particular, is expected to undertake [these types of recoveries both in peacetime]() and especially during a conflict. For a fight in the Pacific, being able to [rapidly pluck stricken aircraft from remote locales]() is regarded as a critical capability, with the latest [CH-53K King Stallion]() version bringing additional performance in this regard. The CH-53K was originally cleared to conduct a 27,000-pound external lift, subsequently increased to 36,000 pounds. The CH-53K can also lift heavier objects for longer distances compared to its predecessor. Externally, [it is designed]() to carry up to 27,000 pounds over a distance of 110 nautical miles in a high and hot environment. This is compared to the CH-53E’s ability to carry 9,654 pounds over the same distance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvFn1n94N1c Sling-load operations [involving aircraft]() are an especially delicate balance act. As well as the sling being strong enough for the load, the overall set-up of the rig, as well as the pitch and bank attitudes of the aircraft being transported, and its control surface states, where applicable, need to be worked out in advance. Should something go wrong during the flight, there remains the option of jettisoning the load, as in the video below. This could be required if the payload starts moving dangerously outside of parameters, or if there is any issue with the transporting aircraft, such as a loss of power. In this case, we don’t know if the crew deliberately jettisoned the load. ***A CH-53E jettisons a CH-47 carried as a slung load during operations in Afghanistan, after it began to swing out of control:*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQlV5S1kMs As to the aircraft involved in the mishap, the Yanshuf (Desert Owl in Hebrew) is the workhorse of the IAF’s rotary-wing fleet. First acquired in the mid-1990s, the fleet comprises ex-U.S. Army UH-60A/L aircraft as well as new-build UH-60Ls, the last of which arrived in 2002. More recently, Israel has ordered ex-U.S. Navy SH-60F Seahawks as its [new naval helicopters](), which will be used aboard the Israeli Navy’s [Sa’ar 6 class missile corvettes](). ![]() *An Israeli Air Force Yanshuf. *IAF/Amit Agronov** The Yanshuf has been widely used in the IDF’s various campaigns and has undergone local modifications, including a new self-protection system and hoist. Some of the aircraft have been additionally configured with external fuel tanks and an in-flight refueling probe for longer-range missions. The Yanshuf fleet is split between two squadrons at Palmachim Air Base and Hatzerim Air Base. As for the Yasur (Petrel in Hebrew), this is very much the veteran of the IAF’s helicopter fleet. The first S-65s began to be supplied to Israel in 1969, during the War of Attrition. These aircraft were then supplemented by former U.S. Marine Corps CH-53As, delivered in two batches in 1974 and in 1991. In the 1990s, survivors were upgraded to the Yasur 2000 standard and, with no replacement in sight, they were then brought up to the Yasur 2025 standard in the 2000s. Between them, the Yasur 2000/2025 upgrades brought modernized avionics, structural improvements, new self-protection equipment, communication systems, and terrain-avoidance systems. ![]() *An Israeli Air Force Yasur 2025. *IAF/Amit Agronov** Two IAF squadrons were equipped with Yasur helicopters, both operating from Tel Nof Air Base, but these have more recently been combined as a single super-squadron at the same location. Some aircraft have been converted for electronic warfare missions, as you can read about [here](). For both the Yanshuf and Yasur, the primary role is troop transport, but they also regularly fly search and rescue and combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions. The latter usually involve carrying teams from the elite Unit 669. Due to its age, the Yasur fleet is becoming more difficult to operate and maintain, something that has [become increasingly apparent]() in recent years. In November 2019, a Yasur made an emergency landing after a fire broke out on board. Everyone on the helicopter escaped unscathed, but the CH-53 was destroyed. The incident led to the grounding of the entire fleet. In January 2020, two weeks after that grounding was lifted, another Yasur had to make an emergency landing due to a technical issue. Three months later, yet another one of the helicopters suffered a technical fault that forced it to land. More recently, the Yasur has suffered combat attrition, with one example being destroyed by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, [with no casualties reported]() among the dozens of troops (plus crew) on board. ![A member of Israeli rescue services searches the carcass of an Israeli CH-53 "Yasur" helicopter on October 15, 2023, which was reportedly hit by Hamas militants during their attack a week earlier and fell on the Israeli side of the northern Gaza border. More than one million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip in the last week, the UN said on October 15, after sustained Israeli bombardment and warnings about a ground attack against Hamas commanders. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)]() *A member of the Israeli rescue services searches the carcass of an IAF Yasur helicopter on October 15, 2023, after it was hit by Hamas militants during their attack a week earlier and fell on the Israeli side of the northern Gaza border. *Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP** The IAF is now looking forward to updating its helicopter fleet, while retaining and even [enhancing its heavy-lift capabilities](), through the acquisition of the CH-53K — which will be named Onager (a type of wild donkey). In 2021, Israel officially selected the CH-53K, which was developed [for the U.S. Marine Corps](), and which was chosen in favor of a variant of Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook. An initial batch of 12 is on order at a cost of around $2 billion. “It \[the CH-53K\] is essential to the IDF’s ability to carry out a wide range of operational activities,” the then Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz said at the time. “The new helicopter is adapted to the \[IAF’s\] operational requirements and to the challenges of the changing battlefield.” Once the CH-53Ks arrive, the Israeli Air Force will be even better equipped to carry out heavy-lift rotary transport tasks, including sling-load operations. While we don’t yet know what went wrong in this morning’s sling-load sortie, the incident does underscore the [inherent challenges]() in these kinds of movements. For now, we should be thankful that no one was injured as a result. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()