Performance and mechanical data are combined here for a faster, more compact read. Values describe the represented model or nearest clearly identified source variant.
Performance and mechanical specifications for CH-53E Super Stallion
Primary role
Heavy-lift helicopter
Crew
5 typical
Configuration
Three-engine heavy-lift helicopter
Powerplant
3 × General Electric T64 turboshafts
Top speed
196 mph
Ceiling
18,500 ft
Published range
621 mi
Fuselage length
73 ft 4 in
Rotor diameter
79 ft
Max weight
73,500 lb
02 · SERVICE CHRONOLOGY
FROM ORIGIN TO LEGACY.
A dated sequence follows the airframe from development through operational use and later evolution. The number of milestones follows the story rather than a fixed template, and each note explains why the event mattered—not only what happened.
ORIGIN
The first YCH-53E flew with a third engine and enlarged rotor system developed from the twin-engine Sea Stallion. [1]
DEVELOPMENT
The fleet supported ship-to-shore lift, recovery, humanitarian relief, and combat logistics while awaiting CH-53K replacement. [1]
SERVICE HISTORY
Heavy external lift let the Super Stallion recover aircraft, move artillery, and support amphibious forces without runways. Those missions also imposed demanding fatigue, maintenance, and readiness burdens on an aging fleet. [1]
CONTEXT & LEGACY
CH-53Es supported the Marine deployment in Lebanon, an early operational test of the heavy-lift helicopter's ability to move people and equipment between ships and confined shore sites. [1]
03 · ARCHIVAL IMAGE
THE AIRFRAME IN CONTEXT.
A documented photograph or archival reference connects the interactive model to a real airframe, operation, or preserved example.
A short, rights-screened motion record adds sound, movement, and operational scale without autoplaying or delaying the interactive model.
CH-53E Super Stallion03:12
Operational footage of the exact CH-53E type.
REUSE NOTE Embedded without modification. Commercial editorial reuse remains subject to the source record, non-endorsement, trademark, privacy/publicity, and third-party-rights limitations.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.
A short, attributed line restores a human voice to the technical record. Period statements and later recollections are identified by the date label and accompanied by a source link.
“It's the only one capable of doing what it does.”
Eric NeirheimU.S. Marine Corps CH-53E crew chief
Neirheim was describing the Super Stallion's unique heavy-lift role during troop and cargo operations.
Focused facts connect the airframe's systems to the way it was built, flown, or used.
01
Three-engine distinction
The CH-53E added a third engine and a seven-blade main rotor to raise lift well beyond earlier Sea Stallions.
02
Shipboard packaging
Its main rotor and tail pylon fold to reduce the helicopter's footprint aboard amphibious ships.
03
Range extension
An in-flight-refueling probe supports long-range recovery, ferry, and special lift missions.
07 · HISTORICAL FIELD NOTE
WHY IT MATTERS.
Built for heavy lift, the three-engine CH-53E moves troops, vehicles, and equipment from ships to demanding landing zones. Its seven-blade rotor, in-flight refueling capability, and folding shipboard configuration reflect the difficult requirement to combine enormous lifting power with naval expeditionary operations. [1]
Reference figures vary by variant, payload, configuration, altitude, test method, and source. Values here are an editorial orientation—not operational or flight-planning data.
Each numbered citation links to an operator, national museum, manufacturer, or established research institution. The scope note tells you exactly what that source supports, and each entry includes its retrieval date.
Where the represented model and source variant differ, the scope is labelled rather than silently treated as an exact match. Read the editorial policy, report a correction through the legal notice, or review 3D-model provenance in the attribution directory.
