US Marine Corps retires CH-53D
The US Marine Corps has retired the CH-53D Sea Stallion after 40 years of service in a ‘sunset ceremony’ held on 10 February at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
The aircraft continue to operate with the HMH-363 squadron currently supporting marines working in Helmand Province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. When the unit returns, one of the helicopters will be flown from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay to its final destination at the Pacific Aviation Museum, where it will be displayed.
Some 124 CH-53Ds were built in total. The aircraft have operated with the USMC in a range of
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