Replacing US Marine’s CH-53K helos with CH-47F choppers is a poor idea
By: Scott Trail   22 hours ago
On Dec. 18, Bloomberg reported that Pentagon officials are considering reducing the number of Marine Corps CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters and replacing them with modified Army CH-47F Chinook medium-lift helicopters. In doing so, the Pentagon hopes to save money by introducing a mixed fleet of less capable aircraft. Unfortunately, such a move will significantly degrade Marine Corps heavy-lift capabilities, add unnecessary logistical and training burdens, and reduce the technologies needed to fight on tomorrow’s digital battlefield, while offering minimal, if any, cost savings.
Most alarming is that the modified CH-47F can’t lift 94 percent of Marine Corps vehicles. Those vehicles include the Corps’ Light Armored Vehicles, trucks and the armored Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, that will replace the aging fleet of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/02/03/replacing-us-marines-ch-53k-helos-with-ch-47f-choppers-is-a-poor-idea/
