Saturday, January 2, 2016

Modernising the Luftwaffe’s Sikorsky CH-53s.

The Luftwaffe’s venerable Sikorsky CH-53 fleet has gone through a number of upgrades in recent years, ensuring the continuation of its service with the German Armed Forces. Hartmut Feldmann writes.

Following the structural reform of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) in 2011, the nation’s Luftwaffe (German Air Force) became the sole organisation to carry out the armed forces’ tactical airlift role. When examining the operational capabilities of the available transport helicopter types, a decision was made to transfer the Bell UH-1Ds and the new NH90 light transport helicopters operated by the Luftwaffe to the Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation Corps). In return, command and control of the aged but reliable Heeresflieger Sikorsky CH-53s was transferred to the Luftwaffe by 2013. In 1968, the Bundeswehr received 110 CH-53Gs, a total of which 78 survive, with four variants currently operated – the CH-53 G, GS, GE and GA, all of which are fitted with different equipment and features (more on which later).  Until its transfer to the Luftwaffe the CH-53 MTHs (Mittlerer Transport-hubschrauber) served several different regiments of the Heeresflieger.

Following the Bundeswehr’s in-theatre experiences of the Afghanistan conflict, 20 CH-53Gs underwent an upgrade carried out by Eurocopter. Designated CH-53GS, the aircraft received Kevlar armour-plating, new and more powerful engines with new titanium rotor blades, a GPS navigation system, helmet-mounted night-vision goggles, radar and laser warning receivers (Missile Launch Detection System), chaff and flare dispensers and, optionally, two external fuel tanks carrying an additional c.5,000 litres of fuel. In addition to the automated self-defence systems the GS variant (the S stands for ‘Special’) can be fitted with three M3M 12.7mm calibre machine guns, two in the side doors and one mounted on the rear loading ramp.













http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2015/12/23/modern-military-aviation-modernising-the-luftwaffes-sikorsky-ch-53s/

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