Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Marine Corps have retired the first CH-53K test helicopter after more than 753 flight hours.
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) tweeted that the first CH-53K to achieve flight almost 8 years ago performed its last flight this week.
“The test aircraft logged 753 flight hours and 214 ground hours,” the command said in a Twitter post Thursday.
According to a tweet from NAVAIR, the aircraft will now be used as a maintenance trainer for Marines.
The CH-53K is the Marine Corps’ newest heavy-lift helicopter that is replacing the CH-53E Super Stallion. The primary mission of the CH-53K is the ship-to-shore transport of heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious operations and subsequent actions ashore.
The new heavy-lift chopper can carry triple the weight of its predecessor at a colossal 27,000 pounds. With that type of lift capacity, the CH-53K can transport up to four Humvees more than 100 miles.