Herc fyller en CH-53K som sleper på en F-35C - Task & Purpose

 

This new Marine Corps helicopter refueled from a Navy tanker while carrying a Navy fighter

For two services supposedly focused on boats and ground operations, there sure is some great flying going on in this photo.

BY MATT WHITE | PUBLISHED APR 28, 2024 9:46 AM EDT

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A Marine flight crew in a CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter transported an F-35C Lightning II airframe while air-to-air refueling from a Navy C-130T. Photo by Photo by Kyra Helwick.

Aremarkable photo released by the Navy last week captures some stunning flying by a Marine Corps test pilot and aircrew, coaxing their MH-53K King Stallion through two of the most difficult helicopter flying skills at the same time.

The photo, snapped by photographer Kyra Helwick, captures the moment a a CH-53K — the latest, most powerful version of the Marine Corps’ workhorse cargo mover — hooks up for air-to-air refueling with the extended hose of a Navy KC-130T tanker aircraft, as it flies with the airframe of a Navy F-35 fighter slung beneath it.

Both of the flying skills on display — air-to-air refueling and carrying a slingload — demand uniquely tricky flying skills.