MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Ver•sa•tile, adjective, defined by "Miriam-Webster" dictionary as with many uses, moving easily between tasks, free moving and changeable - from the Latin versatilis, meaning turning easily.
More than 80 aviators, maintainers, supply logisticians and civilian contractors, who work and live with CH-53D Sea Stallions, gathered at MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay's Staff NCO Club Feb. 19 and 20, to share ideas on how to maximize the airframe's continued value to the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) mission as the aircraft are retrofitted and adapted to the Marine Corps' changing demands.
The six-bladed rotor of the versatile CH-53D Sea Stallion has been a welcome battlefield sight for the eyes of countless Marines.
The Sea Stallion has dramatically impacted Marine Corps warfighting strategy and continues to be an important asset. Its reliability and uncanny ability to adapt to a dizzying array of combat scenarios is matched only by the reputation of the Marines who have completed countless missions staged from its 30-foot-long cargo area.
"The CH-53D is an indispensable, relevant and powerful aircraft for Marine aviation and national defense," said 1st Lt. Ann Burke, operations and logistics officer for Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24. "The objective of this conference was to determine how to effectively maintain that and sustain it over the next decade."
The Sea Stallion, still used as both a heavy and medium-lift platform, can carry 38 combat-equipped troops, or a 105mm howitzer, or even a Hawk missile system, and vertically insert into virtually any terrain.
Speakers discussed, in a forum setting, how to ease supply and logistics issues as the Sea Stallions move into the future, a future particularly important to MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, as all of the Marine Corps' Sea Stallions have been based here. Falling under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 24, three tactical or "gun" squadrons have combined with one training squadron and MALS-24 to make K-Bay "Sea Stallion Central" for the Marine Corps.
"The Sea Stallions are involved in everything from exercises and contingency operations abroad, to fire bucket drops near the H-3 if fires break out," said Burke. "We are working to sustain these aircraft by creating maintenance and supply efficiencies all the way from the tactical to the strategic levels."
One major improvement is a new type of paint that will help minimize corrosion. The paint is expected to significantly increase the aircraft's life span.
Two twin-turbine T-64 turboshaft engines, boasting nearly 4,000 horsepower each, will keep the rotors turning easily for another 10 years - when they're slated to be replaced by the MV-22 Osprey as the Marine Corps' VTOL signature vehicle. With new components and a deep reserve of Marine Corps know-how, the Stallions will remain an integral part of Marine aviation.