First King Stallion Squadron

On 24 January 2022, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) Iron Horses ('CJ-xx') officially became the United States Marine Corps' first squadron to operate the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion.

The unit, based at MCAS New River (NC) falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW), is one of the three based Heavy Helicopter Squadrons operating the CH-53E Super Stallion.

After detaching its last CH-53E detachment, HMH-461 was designated as a CH-53K squadron on 1 October 2021. With its lineage starting in 1944, HMH-461 is the oldest active Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron in the Marine Corps.

The new CH-53K has a maximum external lift of 36,000 pounds and the ability to transport 27,000 pounds 110 nautical miles which is a major improvement over the CH-53E. The CH-53K also comes with 63% fewer parts than its predecessor, ideally making it easier to maintain in austere conditions.

Photo by Stephan Ehrig (Scramble Archive)