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

Background
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 AQS-14 side-scan sonar, and the Mk 103 mechanical minesweeping system.

General Characteristics

Contractor: Sikorsky Aircraft Division of United Technologies Corp.
Date Deployed: First flight: Oct 14, 1964; Operational: November 1966.
Propulsion: Two General Electric T64-GE-413 turboshaft engines (3,925 shaft horsepower each).
Length: Fuselage: 67.5 feet (20.3 meters); Rotors turning: 88 feet 3 inches (26.5 meters).
Height: 24 feet 11 inches (7.2 meters).
Rotor Diameter: 72 feet 3 inches (21.7 meters).
Weight: 21 tons (max gross) (18.9 metric tons).
Airspeed: 160 knots (184 miles, 294 km per hour).
Ceiling: 12,450 feet.
Range: 578 nautical miles (665 statute miles, 1064 km); 886 nautical miles ferry range.
Crew: Two pilots, one aircrewman.
Load: 37 troops or 24 litter patients plus four attendants or 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) cargo.