The CH-53K King Stallion and How it Enables the USMC’s Distributed Operations Approach

The CH-53K brings to the force capabilities which support the USMC’s Distributed Aviation Operations (DAO) concept, which is the method of operating within an adversary’s sensing and weapons-engagement zone.

The concept enables the USMC to generate aviation combat power through the dispersion and coordinated employment of aviation squadrons, command-and-control agencies, aviation logistics, and aviation ground-support units.

The aircraft does this in several ways.

First, the CH-53K is specifically designed for the digital battlefield, with built-in networking capabilities that provide aircrew and troops with the latest battlefield information. As a fully digital aircraft that enhances operational capabilities, it supports the coordination of distributed forces through its advanced digital architecture.

Second, the CH-53K offers three times the range and payload capacity of the CH-53E Super Stallion. It can transport heavy equipment, troops, and supplies over long distances, ensuring forces remain agile and supported. With the ability to lift up to 36,000 pounds, it significantly outperforms medium lift helicopters that max out at 16,000 pounds.

Third, the aircraft’s capabilities directly support the Marines’ approach to deploy both as the nation’s crisis response force and as a key backbone force for the distributed approach being worked by the joint force. It enables distributed forces to operate from both land and sea bases, including austere sites and amphibious shipping, providing essential flexibility.

Fourth, the CH-53K’s digital backbone enables advanced fleet management capabilities like those Sikorsky has implemented with its commercial S-92 helicopter fleet. This system allows for tracking individual aircraft components and predicting maintenance needs based on data-driven analysis rather than fixed schedules. This predictive capability is crucial for maintaining high readiness rates in distributed environments.

Fifth, the aircraft’s advanced flight controls allow for the ability to hit position hold in the 53K and have the aircraft maintain pretty much within one foot of its intended hover point, one foot forward, lateral and AFT, and then one foot of vertical elevation change. It will maintain that hover until the end of the time if required. This precision is essential for operations in confined or austere environments.

I discussed this question of how the CH-53K supports the distributed approach being worked by the USMC with a former Marine now with Sikorsky whom I first interviewed many years ago when he worked in the Pentagon on USMC force sustainment issues.

Pierre Garant is currently the Director of Sustainment for Marine Corps Programs at Sikorsky.  He has four decades of leadership experience in the field of aviation. He held a number of leadership positions in the U.S. Marine Corps, highlighted by his tenure as the Director of the Aviation Logistics at Headquarters (Pentagon) Marine Corps Aviation as a Marine Colonel.

Following his 26-year career in the Marine Corps, he was the Director of Support at Bell-Boeing for the V-22 (Osprey) Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Program before joining Sikorsky in 2013.  He holds a BA from Cornell University, an MS from University of Southern California and an MS from the National Defense University.  Along with his academic degrees, Pierre holds many military decorations and professional certifications.

With the ability of the aircraft through its digital systems, with a proper sustainment approach embedded in the operational force, the supplies don’t have to chase after the aircraft with parts; rather predictive maintenance can allow for more accurate (or agile) forward stocking positioning of parts predictably needed in a forward based operation.

The core point is rather a simple one: one does not do distributed operations per se; one is doing sustainable distributed operations at the point of interest for the time necessary to succeed at the mission.

The S word is a crucial part of the calculus of mission success.

This is how Garant put it: “With the more accurate information which the digital systems generate, we have better knowledge of the actual performance envelope of the aircraft and its sub-systems. Once the maintainers know that and the commanders know that they can make better decisions regarding how to operate the fleet and how to position it for maximum operational advantage. The knowledge generated through the digital systems when embodied in a modern sustainment organization provides a solid basis for determining the footprint needed for sustainable distributed operations.”

From this point of view, one can view the digitally based sustainment capabilities of the CH-53K can drive change in the broader sustainment approach necessary for the broader operations of the USMC as a distributed force.

Featured photo: The 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, tours Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, with Maj. Gen. William Swan, the Commanding General for 2nd MAW, during a visit to Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, June 11, 2024. General Smith visited New River to receive an update on the CH-53K King Stallion, and to speak with Marines and recognize their accomplishments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Kelsey Dornfeld)