Function: The MH-53E is used primarily for Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM), with a secondary mission of shipboard delivery.











History: The MH-53E was derived from the CH-53E Super Stallion and is heavier and has a greater fuel capacity than its ancestor. The MH-53s can operate from carriers and other warships. Sea Dragon is capable of carrying up to 55 troops or a 16-ton payload 50 nautical miles or a 10-ton payload 500 nautical miles. The MH-53E is capable of towing a variety of mine-sweeping countermeasures systems, including the Mk 105 minesweeping sled, the ASQ-14 side-scan sonar, and the Mk 103 mechanical minesweeping system.





General Characteristics, MH-53E Sea Dragon





Contractor:

Sikorsky Aircraft Division of United Technologies Corporation







Power Plant:

Three General Electric T64-GE-416 turboshaft engines (4,380 shaft horsepower each)







Length:

Fuselage: 73 feet 4 inches (22.34 meters)



Overall: 99 feet (30.18 meters)







Height:

28 feet, 4 inches (8.63 meters)







Main Rotor Diameter:

72 feet, 3 inches (21.7 meters)







Weight:

21 tons maximum gross (18.9 metric tons)













Speed:

150 knots (172 mph or 241 kmh)







Ceiling:

27,900 feet







Range:

1,120 nautical miles (1,289 statute miles or 1,802 km)







Crew:

Two pilots, one to six aircrewman, depending on mission







Date Deployed:

1983; replaced last of CH-53E in 1994