Israel lost the valuable S‑65C-3 Yasur helicopter. It is an extremely powerful machine
7:12 AM EDT, October 18, 2023
The war with Hamas, despite Israel's technical superiority, is not one-sided. In the confrontation with terrorists, Israeli special forces lost an S-65C-3 Yasur helicopter. What is this machine and what are its capabilities?
The loss of a valuable machine has been confirmed by Israel. According to official sources, it occurred on the first day of fighting, October 7. Belonging to the 118th Heavy Transport Helicopter Squadron S-65C-3 Yasur - the Israeli version of the Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion - suffered a malfunction.
The machine safely landed in the area of the kibbutz Beeri, and the crew and special forces soldiers who were on board, then evacuated without any losses. The abandoned helicopter was soon to become the victim of Hamas and burn after being hit by an anti-tank missile.
According to the expert, it's likely that the flying helicopter was damaged by Hamas, who besides handheld weapons, are equipped with Iranian-supplied MANPADS (portable anti-aircraft systems).
S-65C-3 Yasur Helicopter
The S-65C-3 Yasur lost by Israel is the local name for the Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter. These machines were developed in the 60s in the United States for the Navy, with the Marine Corps in mind.
The helicopter is 89 feet long, weighs over 21 tons, and can carry 38 passengers or 7940 pounds of cargo. It stands out for its high speed of flight - approximately 193 mph - and considerable range of about 621 miles. The range can be increased thanks to the installation of in-flight refueling.
The large capabilities of the CH-53 have not only attracted the interest of other types of American armed forces, but also foreign customers. The first units were delivered to Israel in 1969 and since then they have been continuously in service.
Machines of this type have, among others, a daring operation to their credit, during which Israeli special forces took over the P-12 radar station in Egypt and transported it to Israel using two CH-53s.
In the next few years, the plan is to replace the Yasurs with newer helicopters - a development version of the CH-53, namely the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion type, which was flight tested in 2015.
