Sikorsky CH-53

Israel

In August 1968, an IAF delegation went out to the Sikorsky plant in Connecticut, USA, to choose the IAF's next assault helicopter.

The delegation was looking for a helicopter with augmented payload carry capacity, highly maneuverable and robust, that could survive direct hits from different caliber projectiles.

They examined Boeing's CH-47 Chinook, and Sikorsky's CH-53. Lessons that had been learned in the Six Day War led the delegation to choose the Sikorsky.

The CH-53 was bigger and stronger than the IAF's other helicopters, and represented a new generation of assault helicopters - a leap forward in terms of rescue operations, transport missions and tactical troop landings.

In September 1969, in the course of the War of Attrition, the first two CH-53s arrived at the port of Ashdod, and received their Hebrew name, Yas'ur ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

They were sent into action in short order. On August 6, 1970 the first Yas'ur squadron was established. They are the main cargo helicopters of the IAF, carrying troops and heavy equipment.

In 1969, during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], IAF Yas'ur CH-53s landed in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and conveyed a captured [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] advanced [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] system back to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for examination by Israeli scientists and engineers (see [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

In the 1973 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the Yas'urs moved [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] batteries around the fronts, evacuated wounded soldiers and rescued pilots from behind enemy lines. In one engagement, a Yas'ur was damaged by cannon fire from a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] but returned safely to base.

Since 1973, Yas'urs have also been used by the IDF to land and extract [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] commandos on deep raids into [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

During the 1980s, Israel Aircraft Industries, along with military high-tech firm Elbit Systems, upgraded and improved the IAF Yas'ur fleet.

The project, ended in 1997, improved the CH-53 avionics, robustness and extended its life span by at least two decades.

In 1989, Yas'urs were used to fight a huge blaze on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

They performed dozens of low flyovers into the smoke and flames, dumped 700 tons of water on the fire, and doused it.

Germany


In 1966 the German military evaluated both the CH-53 and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as a replacement for the H-21 and H-34G helicopters with an initial requirement for 133.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}
The purchase of the CH-53 was approved in June 1968 but due to budget constraints only 110 were ordered.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}
Following the delivery in 1969 of two pre-production helicopters from Sikorsky the production aircraft were licence built by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in Germany.


The first German-built helicopter flew from Speyer on 11 October 1971 and was delivered to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] flight test centre at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on 1 December 1971.

The German Army flying units received 110 type CH-53Gs. Except for the first two, all machines were built in Germany.

The first flight made by a German CH-53G was made in 1971, followed in March 1973 by the delivery of the first machines to The 35th Army Flying Regiment in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and shortly afterwards to the newly formed 15th Army Flying Regiment.