Ch-53 ASW/ ASuW Variant?

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tobse

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Was there ever a proposal for an ASW/ ASuW Variant of the CH-53?

If not, why not? Is there no need for a heavy attack helicopter able to carry heavy munitions (eg. Harpoon, Exocet, Torpedoes) and a bigger Radar/ Sensors than other smaller ASW/ ASuW Helicopters?
 
tobse said:
Was there ever a proposal for an ASW/ ASuW Variant of the CH-53?

If not, why not? Is there no need for a heavy attack helicopter able to carry heavy munitions (eg. Harpoon, Exocet, Torpedoes) and a bigger Radar/ Sensors than other smaller ASW/ ASuW Helicopters?
Click to expand...

You do see some mentions of an SH-53 in the airwings proposed for the Sea Control Ship. They disappeared when miniaturization of electronics made it possible to fit a full ASW hunter-killer capability into an SH-3.

There is no need to carry heavy ASW torpedoes (which are not suited to air launch anyway) and heavy ASCMs can be carried on smaller helicopters (I think Sea King and Puma have both carried Exocet, at least)
 
tobse said:
Was there ever a proposal for an ASW/ ASuW Variant of the CH-53?

If not, why not? Is there no need for a heavy attack helicopter able to carry heavy munitions (eg. Harpoon, Exocet, Torpedoes) and a bigger Radar/ Sensors than other smaller ASW/ ASuW Helicopters?
Click to expand...
Wasn't there a ASW derivative of the CH-47 Chook offered to the Royal Navy in the 1960's?......if so the notion of a SH-53 isn't probably so fanciful.
But I have to ask why you'd want such a large helo with a deck spotting factor so encroaching, let alone it being a known maintenance monster?

Regards
Pioneer
 
Pioneer said:
tobse said:
Was there ever a proposal for an ASW/ ASuW Variant of the CH-53?

If not, why not? Is there no need for a heavy attack helicopter able to carry heavy munitions (eg. Harpoon, Exocet, Torpedoes) and a bigger Radar/ Sensors than other smaller ASW/ ASuW Helicopters?
Click to expand...
Wasn't there a ASW derivative of the CH-47 Chook offered to the Royal Navy in the 1960's?......if so the notion of a SH-53 isn't probably so fanciful.
But I have to ask why you'd want such a large helo with a deck spotting factor so encroaching, let alone it being a known maintenance monster?

Regards
Pioneer
Click to expand...
NAST/ASR.358 had a pretty demanding ASW requirement for an endurance of three hours (increased to four hours in 1964) carrying a future 360⁰ scan sonar weighing 5000lb, in addition to a transport role, hence the selection of Chinook. As for deck handling, a Chinook with folded rotors is very similar in size to a Merlin.

CH-53 did not meet the required All-Up Weight requirements (too heavy?), folded dimensions and lacked powered balde folding, so was rejected.
 

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