| CH-37 Mojave | |
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| CH-37 Mojave attempting to lift a crashed Piasecki H-21. | |
| Role | Cargo helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Sikorsky Aircraft |
| First flight | 1953 |
| Introduced | July 1956 |
| Retired | Late 1960s |
| Primary users | United States Army United States Marine Corps |
| Number built | 154 |
The Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave (company designation S-56) was a large heavy-lift helicopter by the standards of the 1950s.
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Design and development
The S-56 came into being as an assault transport for the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with a capacity of 26 fully-equipped troops; the order was placed in 1951, the first prototype flew in 1953, and production deliveries of the HR2S began in July 1956 to the Marine Corps' HMX-1, sixty aircraft in total being produced.
The United States Army evaluated the prototype in 1954 and ordered 94 examples as the CH-37A, the first being delivered also in summer 1956. All Marine and Army examples were delivered by mid-1960. Army examples were all upgraded to CH-37B status in the early 1960s, being given Lear auto-stabilization equipment and the ability to load and unload while hovering. In the 1962 unification of United States military aircraft designations, USMC examples became CH-37C.
At the time of delivery, the CH-37 was the largest helicopter in the Western world, and it was Sikorsky's first twin-engined helicopter. Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines were mounted in outboard pods that also contained the retractable landing gear. This left the fuselage free for cargo, which could be loaded and unloaded through large clamshell doors in the nose. The single main rotor was five-bladed, and designed to function with one blade shot away in combat.
The CH-37 was one of the last heavy helicopters to use piston engines, which were larger, heavier and less powerful than the turboshafts subsequently employed. This accounted for the type's fairly short service life, all being withdrawn from service by the late 1960s, replaced in Army service by the distantly-related CH-54 Tarhe.
Four CH-37Bs were deployed to Vietnam in 1963 to assist in the recovery of downed United States aircraft. They were very successful at this role, recovering over 7.5 million dollars' worth of equipment, some of which was retrieved from behind enemy lines.
Variants
- XHR2S-1
- Prototype Assault Transport for the US Marine Corps, powered by two 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) R-2800-54 engines, four built.
- HR2S-1
- Production model with modified engine nacelles, twin mainwheels and dorsal fin, redesignated CH-37C in 1962, 55 built (order for additional 36 cancelled).
- HR2S-1W
- Airborne early warning aircraft for the US Navy, two built.
- YH-37
- One HR2S-1 helicopter evaluated by the US Army.
- H-37A Mojave
- Military transport version of the HR2S for the US Army, changes included dorsal fin and modified rotor head fairing, redesignated CH-37A in 1962, 94 built.
- H-37B Mojave
- All but four of the H-37As were modified with a re-designed cargo door, automatic stabilisation equipment and crashproof fuel cells, Later redesignated CH-37B.
- CH-37A
- H-37A redesignated in 1962.
- CH-37B
- H-37B redesignated in 1962.
- CH-37C
- HR2S-1 redesignated in 1962.
S-60
The S-60 was prototype "sky-crane" developed from the S-56 in 1958. The S-60 was equipped with an autopilot for stable hover, and featured a skeletal fuselage with a crew cockpit; the copilot could swivel his seat to face both fore and aft, and control it from either position. The skeletal nature of the helicopter allowed it to carry customizable, underslung 'modules' - nearly 100 troops, a medical outpost, a radar structure, etc. Its development led to the larger, turbine-engined CH-54 Tarhe military helicopter, and its civil S-64 Skycrane counterpart.
Other derivatives
Westland Aircraft, a manufacturer of license-built Sikorsky designs used the S-56 physics and the rotor and gearbox as the basis for their Westland Westminster. The Westminster had a tubular frame and used the Napier Eland turboshaft for power. It would have been clad for the passenger role (50 troops) or been left open-framed as a cargo aircraft (4 jeeps or equivalent). The Westminster project was terminated in favour of the Rotodyne design that had been acquired from Fairey Aviation.
Operators
Survivors
- CH-37B (#55-644) is on display at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum in Ozark, Alabama.
- CH-37B (#56-1005) "Tired Dude" is on display at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
- CH-37B (57-1651) is owned by the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Ft. Eustis, Virginia.
- CH-37C (#145864) is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.
Specifications (CH-37 Mojave)
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This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them. |
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Capacity: 26 troops
- Length: 88 ft 0 in (26.8 m)
- Rotor diameter: 72 ft 1 in (22.0 m)
- Height: 17 ft 1 in (m)
- Disc area: 4,080 ft² (379 m²)
- Empty weight: 20,800 lb (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 31,000 lb ()
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-54 Double Wasp radial engine, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 131 mph (114 kn, 211 km/h)
- Range: 247 mi (215 NM, 400 km)
- Service ceiling: 8,000 ft (m)
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: CH-37 Mojave |
- CH-37 Mojave US Army Aviation history fact sheet
- Photos of CH-37's from 49th Avn Bn, CAL ARNG, and others
- Information and Specs on the H-37
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