• US Army and Marines transport • First twin-engined Sikorsky
For 10 years after its first flight the S-56 was the largest helicopter flying outside the Soviet Union and, until the end of 1961, it was the largest helicopter operated by the US military. Designed to meet a US Navy and Marine Corps requirement for an assault transport, it was also the first twin-engined Sikorsky design. Designated HR2S by the Navy, the S-56 flew in 1953. It served in larger numbers with the US Army as the H-37 Mojave.
▼ Retractable landing gear
Mojaves were not only novel in their engine arrangement; they also had a retractable undercarriage. The main gear assemblies rotractod rearwards into the engine nacelle. Each leg was supported by twin wheels.
◄ On exercises in Puerto Rico
HR2S- Is of HMR-461 touch down at a marked landing area during exorcises.
▼ YH-37 for the Army
In >954, the US Army tested a pro-production XHR2S-1 as a YH-37.
FACTS AND FIGURES
► Mojnvos wore replaced by the CH-54 Tarhe, which welghod loss but could lift five times as much cargo as tho CH-37.
► In all, 150 S-56s wero built; a prototype, 55 for tho USMC and 94 for the Army.
► 1959 saw tho first overseas H-37 deployment, by the Army to Germany.
► Army H-37 As entered service with the 4th Medium Helicopter Transportation Company In February 1958.
► Tho H-37 A had a fuselage capacity large enough to hold three Army Jeeps.
► Tho Army briofly evaluated one of the two HR2S-1 Ws in ‘Arctic’ colours.
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CH-37B Mojave
Type: i’oop and supply transport helicopter
Powerplant: two 1566-kW (2.100-hp.) Pratt & Whltnoy R-2800 54 Double Wasp radials
Maximum speed: Г00 knvh (124 m p h j
Range: 233 km (145 mi.) with maximum payload
Weights: empty 9730 kg (21.450 lb.): maximum tako-oH 13608 kg (30.000 to)
Accommodation: іл-о or thron crow, plus up to 26 troops, 24 stretcher cases or three /eeps: underhung loads of up to 4536 kg (10,000 to.) may bo Mtod
Dimensions:
mam rotor diameter fuselage length height
rotor disc area
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Above: A Marino Corps CH-37C and UH-34D return to MCAS El Toro. California, from an exorcise.
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from otherwise inaccessible, enemy dominated areas
Sikorsky’s S-56 was designed to meet a US Marine Сог|ч requirement lor an assault helicopter able to cany alxmt 26 tmops. The machine’s unique configuration, with its engines in nacelles separate In mi the fuselage, left the latter cleat lor load-carrying Large clam-shell elixirs in the nose allowed sitaiglil-tn loading of up to 907 kg (2.tkHi lbs і of cargo into the wine b-equipiKxl hold
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Fifty-five* IIUJS-ls were delivered to the t h Marines; two were later muddled for early warning duties I л the av .in HK2S-|V% wit’ll я huge radat seamier іпмдікчі in a r. idrnnc fitted under the chill After evaluating an XIIR2S-I (YII-3“*>. the Army un>k delivery of 91 11-3“ AM all of which were vlclivered by June 1*760 Mom were later convened to 1І-.ГН siandanl with improved systems The Іам t H-3“s were retired in the late 1960s.
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Despite Ivcmg piston-
engined al a lime when most new helicopter designs were |K)vered by lightweight and powerful turboshafts. the Cl 1-3" (as it was кін *wn to the t s Army and Yjvy after 1962) proved its worih as a hcavy-lilt helicopter.
I Ins was illustrated Iry the iy|4-‘s brief deployment bv the Army in the Vietnam conflict. Four CH-.Vlts recovered $7.5 million worth of downed aircrafi during June 1963- many of them
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Right: Distinctive ‘eyes’ painted on the front of the engine nacelles were a common feature of both Marine Corps and Army CH-37s.
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21.95 m (72 ft.) 19.56 m (64 ft. 3 in.) 6.71 m <22 ft) 379.03 m – (4.080 sq. ft)
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ГУ rut & Wtvrejy’* (-м*-«Xante R 2800 Ocwcte VAep (ihat txnwjrtxl such types аз the Northrop P-61 Stack WOow rxght-Sghter and Douglas A-26 invader barter) Sard yp| another яиЛсаеоп ti tne S-56
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mausry practice at trie time of the S-56’s des^jn was to emooy Sere art aft-mounted lantwn rotors. Shcrsky Стеле with скгьепооп. иипд a sngte large. Ixe btoded тая rotor wrth a tovr-Uiaded antl-tocoae rotor at the roar
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Originally designated HRS-1 by Uie USMC. the S-56
became the CH-37C whon US military designation
systems were unified In 1962.
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Positioning the Bngries n separate naceAes atoweo more povtoed room in V-e fuselage A fa* atong the cabm cecng and a 907 kg (2.000 toil capacity winch aided loading
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Artor osV. ю’.юп of Iho f nf production oxamptes by MMX-t. MR2S – >S ware oekrored to Hr, to* unit» inducing Hetccp’.er Transport Squadron iHMR; 401 Today this ini. now des*9-«ued HMH-toi is в Мато Heicopter Squaaron Heavy and operate* Skorecy CH-53E Super Statens
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•hel rtxn proxtaed access CM 3Ts hold. A ramp was ‘Cl* vohefes
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A common toeture с» Army and Marne Сора Of-37s was a per of auximr, km tank* d 1136-Hro (ЗОО-galon) cacooty, trod to the fuselage nboara of ttx* undercarriage Fuel reached the engnes erect wo «ctomoi p*w.
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Marine Corps helicopters at war
■ DELL. UH-1E IROQUOIS: First employed by ■ SIKORSK’
***> US Army in Vietnam In 1982. the ‘Huey’ was equipped nlno *S=oted by the Marines in UH-1E form and squadrons m к cjocMy deployed to Southeast Asia. carrying, the ty
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■ SIKORSKY CH-53A SEA STALLION: First deployed in Vietnam in January 1967, the CH-53 was specifically devolooed аз a large assault type for the Marine Corps.
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■ SIKORSKY UH-34D (HUS-1) SEAHORSE:
The most widely used piston-engined helicopter of the war, the Seahorse was the USMC’s mam assault helicopter until the UH-1 entered service
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Тпоифі аЫв ю <11 Гімну соків ih* СИ-З* wot о »№• ohort on large corpjrwi to IN* Seahorse In кпко wrh pain m* Manna* ant Army. Ih* typo was often fried w*ri extra •■їстві lud larks to oocel range oortomanfe Boerg-WW* See Krsghnook moal pertoimane* «іапоагр» ю new hoghis on entonng service n 1364
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CX-37C UBMfi ЯАХ0ЯЯ
233 la (til яі ) 233Xai(ienl.|
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Sikorsky
