CH-53K Gearbox Failure and program delay
CH-53K Gearbox Failure and program delay
Navy League 2015: Sikorsky redesigns CH-53K main gear box components as E-models are kept in service - IHS Jane's 360
Navy League 2015: Sikorsky redesigns CH-53K main gear box components as E-models are kept in service
Marina Malenic, National Harbor, Maryland - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
14 April 2015
An MH-53E lifts off from the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln. The USMC will have to keep the E-models flightworthy until the new CH-53K enters service. Source: USN
Key Points
A failure in the main gear box of the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) developmental Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter has prompted the need for redesign of that component as the Corps presses ahead to replace its troubled and ageing CH-53Es, US Navy (USN) and USMC officials said on 14 April.
The gear box failure has set back the already delayed first flight of the new K-model by several more months, and a redesign of the faulty components is underway, said Rear Admiral Cindy Jaynes, the USN's Program Executive Officer (PEO) for airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
"We are looking to have a solution in place by July," Adm Jaynes told IHS Jane's during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference. "We will not fly until we get the gearbox fixed." She attributed the failure to a problem with quill rods, the bolts that hold the gear box together.
Meanwhile, the USMC continues to work hard to keep its CH-53Es flightworthy. "It's time-consuming because we've neglected the E for so long," said the admiral, adding that budget constraints would not allow for the acceleration of the CH-53K development and production.
A January 2014 crash of a CH-53E assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen (HM-14) incited the USN to issue temporary flight restrictions and new maintenance measures to keep the ageing fleet airworthy. Problems with wiring and hydraulics systems continue to be an issue.
USMC Colonel Hank Vanderborght, the H-53 programme manager, said the Corps keeps inspecting every E-model aircraft "with a fine-toothed comb". He said some 80% of the aircraft had been inspected and that "quite a few have been returned to service already". The USMC intends to continue flying the E-models until the K-models enter the fleet. "We're planning on flying them until their service life is over, which is 10,000 hours per aircraft," said Col Vanderborght.
Marina Malenic, National Harbor, Maryland - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
14 April 2015
An MH-53E lifts off from the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln. The USMC will have to keep the E-models flightworthy until the new CH-53K enters service. Source: USN
Key Points
- A failure in the main gear box of the Sikorsky CH-53K has prompted the need for redesign of the component
- The USMC must keep its ageing CH-53Es flightworthy until the K-model enters service
A failure in the main gear box of the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) developmental Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter has prompted the need for redesign of that component as the Corps presses ahead to replace its troubled and ageing CH-53Es, US Navy (USN) and USMC officials said on 14 April.
The gear box failure has set back the already delayed first flight of the new K-model by several more months, and a redesign of the faulty components is underway, said Rear Admiral Cindy Jaynes, the USN's Program Executive Officer (PEO) for airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
"We are looking to have a solution in place by July," Adm Jaynes told IHS Jane's during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference. "We will not fly until we get the gearbox fixed." She attributed the failure to a problem with quill rods, the bolts that hold the gear box together.
Meanwhile, the USMC continues to work hard to keep its CH-53Es flightworthy. "It's time-consuming because we've neglected the E for so long," said the admiral, adding that budget constraints would not allow for the acceleration of the CH-53K development and production.
A January 2014 crash of a CH-53E assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen (HM-14) incited the USN to issue temporary flight restrictions and new maintenance measures to keep the ageing fleet airworthy. Problems with wiring and hydraulics systems continue to be an issue.
USMC Colonel Hank Vanderborght, the H-53 programme manager, said the Corps keeps inspecting every E-model aircraft "with a fine-toothed comb". He said some 80% of the aircraft had been inspected and that "quite a few have been returned to service already". The USMC intends to continue flying the E-models until the K-models enter the fleet. "We're planning on flying them until their service life is over, which is 10,000 hours per aircraft," said Col Vanderborght.
