Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane

History of the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane

The original Sikorsky S-60 proved its worth as a heavy helicopter with its only complete example. This model was derived from the US military's established CH-47 "Mojave" (described in detail elsewhere on this page) and was used as the basis for the larger family of S-64 "Skycrane" heavy lifts. Since its introduction in the 1960s, the large helicopter - easily identifiable by its mostly missing fuselage sections - has been used in the civilian market. It was also used as the base design for the military-focused CH-54 "Tarhe" series.

The prototype first flew on May 9, 1962, and in 1992 the production rights for the series were acquired by Erickson Air-Crane, after which the company took over the manufacture of Sikorsky large helicopters.

The total production of the S-64 was 110, and it was built in three examples, starting with the original S-64. It was followed by six U.S. Army-rated models S-64A. This spawned the S-64B, the civilian version of the Army's CH-54A model, and seven were produced.

Under Erickson's leadership, the product line expanded to include the S-64E and S-64F model brands, which became the CH-54A and CH-54B retrofit-F models, respectively, introducing Pratt & Whitney's JFTD12-5A series of engines.

Civilian operators of the S-64 exist in Italy, South Korea and the United States. Its primary role is firefighting, and its unique configuration enables the helicopter to carry large amounts of water over rough terrain and drop its contents into a raging forest fire in hopes of extinguishing the source.

Production of the military-oriented Tarhe spawned 105 proprietary units, starting with six YCH-54A pre-production models. It was followed by the CH-54A production variant with two 4,500 hp PW T73-P-1 series turboshaft engines, and 54 prototypes were built to standard. The CH-54B increased overall weight and introduced a two-wheeled landing gear, while power is now provided by a 4,800-horsepower PW T73-P799 turboshaft engine.

37 servings were made.

In addition to U.S. Army service, the CH-54 is used by the U.S. NASA service for various program work. During military operations, Tarhe transported a variety of heavy objects, from oversized bombs and attack helicopters to main battle tanks and cargo containers.

A special version even has a sky as a landing gear.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes