The USAF has a problem. It has found the HH-60 it flies too small and short legged for the air rescue mission and desperately needs a replacement. To add to the services woes, AFSOC is making a play for the mission stating that its CV-22's can perform the mission better.
The Air Force is resisting the idea, I believe, because placing the mission in SOCOM hands would mean that at critical times the required assets might be off doing other missions. They have a point. That would mean that in the future long over water recovery would necessarily fall to Marine or Navy aircraft. Over land recovery would be hampered by SOCOMs solution of having HH-60s in the reserves do the mission.
The fly in the ointment is that other helicopters also lack the range that the USAF requires.
The answer is to climb aboard the Marine Corps CH-53K program and sole source the selection. Stats via Wikipedia.
General characteristics
- Crew: 5: 2 pilots, 1 crew chief/right gunner, 1 left gunner, 1 tail gunner (combat crew)
- Capacity: 37 troops (55 with centerline seats installed)
- Payload: * 35,000 lb (15,900 kg)
- Length: 99 ft 1/2 in (30.2 m)
- Rotor diameter: 79 ft (24 m)
- Height: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
- Disc area: 4,900 ft² (460 m²)
- Empty weight: 33,226 lb (15,071 kg)
- Loaded weight: 74,000 lb (33,600 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: * 84,700 lb (38,400 kg)
- Powerplant: 3 × *General Electric GE38-1B turboshaft, * 7,500 shp (5,600 kW) each
Performance
- Rotor systems: 7 blades on main rotor, 4 blades on tail rotor
- Cruise speed: * 170 knots (196 mph, 315 km/h)
- Range: * 454 nmi (841 km) no reserves
- Combat radius: * 110 nmi (126 mi, 204 km)
- Service ceiling: * 14,400 ft (4,380 m)
Armament
- Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s)
- Guns: ** 2 window-mounted .50 BMG (12.7 mm) M3M/GAU-21 machine guns
- 1 ramp-mounted .50 BMG (12.7 mm) M3M/GAU-21 machine gun
Before you think I'm going soft on the Marine Corps aviation budget I haven't. I have massive heartburn at the thought of a helicopter costing 84 million dollars each. That's damn near the cost of a fighter! But it will have the required range (and if it receives modifications like the enlarged sponsons on the MH-53E it could be extended further---and that's before you add in aerial refueling), will have 3 machineguns to provide area suppression and all the defensive aids the Air Force can stuff into it. Quite honestly it'll add in a capability the Para-Rescue hasn't had since the MH-53J retired.
