--- title: "New USMC CH-53K King Stallion Helicopter Sling-Loads An F-35 (Updated)" description: "The U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) newest helicopter, the heavy-hauling [CH-53K King Stallion](), successfully lifted a U.S. Navy [F-35C Lightning II]() Joint Strike Fighter in December of last year. Details on the demonstration, as well as accompanying images, [were released]() by…" date: "2023-01-24" modified: "2023-01-24" authors: - name: "Oliver Parken" job_title: "Former Associate Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/oliver-parken" url: "https://www.twz.com/new-usmc-ch-53k-king-stallion-helicopter-sling-loads-an-f-35" categories: - "Air" - "CH-53K" - "F-35" - "Fighters" - "H-53" - "Helicopters" - "Naval Aviation" - "Sea" - "U.S. Marine Corps" --- # New USMC CH-53K King Stallion Helicopter Sling-Loads An F-35 (Updated) ![CF-1 lift with VMX-1 CH-53K]() *NAVAIR photo* The U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) newest helicopter, the heavy-hauling [CH-53K King Stallion](), successfully lifted a U.S. Navy [F-35C Lightning II]() Joint Strike Fighter in December of last year. Details on the demonstration, as well as accompanying images, [were released]() by the Department of Defense on January 23. The exercise took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. This involved a CH-53K helicopter belonging to USMC Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One ([VMX-1]()) lifting the Navy's first F-35C prototype, ['CF-01,']() or 'CF-1.' CF-01 [made its debut]() back in 2009 and took its [first flight in]() 2010. While the CH-53K is capable of [lifting aircraft](), this appears to be the first time the helicopter has lifted an F-35 fighter of any variant. ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, wait for an F-35C Lightning II lift to land during Helicopter Support Team operations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Dec. 13, 2022. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** ![]() *A CH-53K King Stallion with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron one (VMX-1), lifts F-35C CF-01 during Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 24 (CLB-24) helped conduct the exercise, which was designed to help develop tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) for CH-53K King Stallion "helicopter support team operations." In the images, we see Marines with CLB-24 readying F-35C CF-01 for transport by attaching chains and other rigging to its airframe. The F-35C is then hooked to the CH-53K before the helicopter lifts the jet into the air. ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, prepare CF-01 for Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq* *Hilton** ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, attach chains to CF-01 for Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** After conducting the exercise, Marines with CLB-24 posed for photos with CF-01. ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, pose for a photo with F-35C CF-01 after completing Helicopter Support Team operations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Dec. 13, 2022. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** Chosen to replace the Marine Corps’ aging and [increasingly unreliable]() fleet of [CH-53E Super Stallion]() helicopters manufacturer by Sikorsky (now a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin) which entered service back in 1981, the CH-53K program has suffered its share of [delays and setbacks](). In development since 2006, the USMC originally expected to reach initial operational capability with the King Stallion (also manufactured by Sikorsky) in 2015, but this was steadily pushed back. The USMC [took delivery]() of the first CH-53K in May 2018, and in April 2022 the service [announced]() that the first CH-53K was operational. In December 2022, the Navy announced that Sikorsky was cleared to begin [full-rate production]() of the helicopter. All told, the USMC plans to purchase 200 CH-53Ks. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) [indicates]() that the aircraft should declare full operational capability in Fiscal Year 2029. ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, hook CF-01 to a CH-53K King Stallion for Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** The new photos are yet another demonstration of the CH-53K's heavy-lifting capability. According to Sikorsky, the helicopter — which is the largest single-main-rotor helicopter in the U.S. military arsenal — has a [maximum payload capacity]() of 36,000 pounds. This, the company says, means it can lift many types of vehicles, from [Joint Light Tactical Vehicles]() (JLTV) to [Light Armored Vehicles]() (LAV). The Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-35C, used by the U.S. Navy and the USMC, has an empty weight of 34,800 pounds. Given that the F-35C CF-01 lifted by the CH-53K is at least partially gutted, the jet's weight would have been lower than that figure. ![]() *U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joshua Griggs, a landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, observes an F-35C Lightning II lift during Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** Perhaps more than this, it's the CH-53K's ability to lift other military aircraft that showcases its capabilities. This is something that many other helicopters can't do. Indeed, the CH-53K's first 'real' mission involved lifting a crashed MH-60S Seahawk in California in 2021, which you can read about [here](). 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. ![]() *A CH-53K King Stallion with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron one (VMX-1), lifts an F-35C Lightning II during Helicopter Support Team operations. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meshaq Hylton** According to the Department of Defense image captions, the demonstration comes as the USMC “modernizes and prepares to respond globally to emerging crises or contingencies.” There are many operational contexts in which moving F-35s via CH-53Ks could be useful for the Marines. Having the ability to transport F-35s out of austere locations could be significant in an [island-hopping war]() in the Indo-Pacific, namely against China. Here, damaged or broken-down F-35Cs and Bs, prized assets full of sensitive technology, could be plucked from remote islands via CH-53Ks. But being able to lift F-35Cs is useful outside of the Pacific context in terms of aircraft recovery more generally. It's well known that CH-53s have been key aircraft recovery assets for decades now. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for what the USMC's CH-53K King Stallion does — and lifts — next. Stay tuned. ***Update 4:34 P.M. EST:*** Additional information on the demonstration, and new photos, were [published]() in a press release by NAVAIR on January 24. Video footage of the lift was also released, which you can watch below. https://twitter.com/NAVAIRNews/status/1617975876527984640 According to the release, the "external load certification lift" of the F-35C was designed to "inform future \[CH-53K\] lift capabilities." The CH-53K helicopter is currently cleared to conduct a 27,000 pound external lift, and is projected to be cleared for a 36,000 pound external lift. The inoperable F-35C CF-1 airframe and its rigging weighed approximately 22,000 pounds after the removal of its mission and propulsion systems, outer wings, and other equipment. Between 2010–2016, the F-35C CF-1 accrued 750 flight hours during 450 tests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvFn1n94N1c The release also states that the NAS Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) test team and NAVAIR's Cargo Lab also helped to ensure the lift was a success. Various tests and reports were completed before the lift took place – which included load certification testing, sling configuration analysis, and the documentation of cargo characteristics. Moreover, an earlier crane test lift verified the sling, rig, pitch and bank attitudes of the jet, and control surface states. ![]() *A non-flyable F-35C Lightning II airframe is flown as part of a CH-53K King Stallion external load certification lift, Dec. 13, 2022. *U.S. Navy photo by Kyra Helwick** *Contact the author: [oliver@thewarzone.com]()* ## Author Oli’s background is in the cultural and military history of twentieth-century Britain. Before joining *The War Zone* team in early in 2022, he was Assistant Lecturer at the University of Kent's Center for the History of War, Media and Society in the U.K., where he completed his PhD in 2021. Alongside his contributions to *The War Zone*'s military history catalog, he also covers contemporary topics and breaking news. ### Author social links [Twitter]()