NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md., Aug. 11 (UPI) — The U.S. Marine Corps has begun a full reset of its CH-53E helicopters to address an issue that came to light after a fatal 2014 crash, the Navy said Wednesday.
The work on 147 of the aging Super Stallion heavy lift aircraft is aimed at increasing the number of operationally fit aircraft and addressing systemic issues that have in recent years driven the platform's readiness to unsustainable depths, Naval Air Systems Command said in a statement.
via www.upi.com
This is what happens when aircraft designed for a 20 year life have to soldier on for 40 years.
The SuperStallion's replacement, the CH-53K, is progressing through flight testing right now, but it will be quite a few years before it reaches the fleet in any numbers. And without the CH-53E, the Marine Corps is out of the assault business.
XBradTC 
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