Corps works to lengthen lives of old CH-53s - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Corps works to lengthen lives of old CH-53s

Marine officials are working overtime to keep the Corps’ aging CH-53s flying until the next-generation heavy-lift helicopter comes online in 2018, three years later than expected.

Navy Capt. Rick Muldoon, program manager for all CH-53s, said his team is on track to conduct the CH-53K’s critical design review this summer. That will be the last major step before the new aircraft is approved for production. Officials hope to have the first new bird conducting flight tests in 2013.

In the meantime, the Corps will ask even more of its CH-53Ds and Es. Even after 30-plus years in service, the 10 Deltas now in Afghanistan fly a combined average of 485 hours each month, while the 16 Echoes fly a combined monthly average of 610 hours, said Marine spokesman Capt. Craig Thomas.

“I think we’re going to be fine,” Muldoon said, but it would be “foolhardy not to be concerned about an aging aircraft. We have to be diligent. ... If we don’t do anything, we could be in trouble in the next five years or less.”

An eye on the oldies

A diagnostic system on board the older aircraft helps Marine officials track the birds’ reliability. Typically, mechanical failure doesn’t happen overnight, Muldoon said. Officials hope the data collected from the diagnostics will help them predict when failure is most likely to occur.

Additionally, officials have determined that if they replace the bulkhead in the tail of the CH-53Es before they reach 6,190 flight hours, they can keep them flying to 10,000 hours.

Engineers also have discovered that extra maintenance on the Delta models can extend the aircraft’s lifespan to 12,500 hours, so long as the work is completed before the bird hits 10,000 hours, Muldoon said.

The new Kilo model has been identified by Marine officials as crucial to the service’s role as an amphibious force.

The Corps, weighed down by heavier gear developed over a decade spent fighting two land wars, needs a helicopter capable of hauling up to 27,000 pounds, nearly three times what the CH-53E can carry.