Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane Heavy-Lift Cargo (2024)

Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter

United States | 1962

"The unique Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane heavy-lift helicopter also spawned a military form in the CH-54 Tarhe for the United States Army."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/03/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The original Sikorsky S-60 proved itself as a heavy-lift helicopter through its sole example completed. This model was born from the established CH-47 "Mojave" (detailed elsewhere on this site) of the United States military and used as the basis for the dimensionally larger S-64 "Skycrane" heavy-lift series. The large helicopter - easily identifiable by its largely missing fuselage section - has seen consistent service in the civilian market since introduction in the 1960s. It served as the base design for the military-minded CH-54 "Tarhe" line as well. A prototype went airborne for the first time on May 9th, 1962 and, in 1992, production rights for the series was obtained by Erickson Air-Crane which has taken on manufacture of the large helicopter from Sikorsky since.

Total production of S-64 units was 110 beginning with the original S-64 built in three examples. These were followed by six evaluation models for the United States Army as the S-64A. From that came the S-64B which was the civilian-minded version of the Army's CH-54A model and seven were produced. Under Erickson, the line was broadened to include the S-64E and S-64F model marks, these becoming upgraded forms of the CH-54A and CH-54B respectively - the F-model introducing Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A series engines.

Civilian market operators of the S-64 are found in Italy, South Korea and the United States. Its primary role is in firefighting where its unique configuration allows the helicopter to carry a considerable water load over uneven terrain, dropping its contents onto raging wildfires with the hope of putting the fire source out.

Production of the military-minded Tarhe yielded 105 total units of its own beginning with the six YCH-54A pre-production models. These were followed by the CH-54A production form which fitted 2 x PW T73-P-1 series turboshaft engines of 4,500 horsepower and 54 examples were built to the standard. The CH-54B saw an increase in overall weight as well as a twin-wheeled undercarriage introduced while power was now served through PW T73-P799 turboshaft engines of 4,800 horsepower. 37 examples were manufactured.

Beyond its service with the United States Army, the CH-54 has been featured by the NASA service of the United States for various program work. In military use, the Tarhe has hauled all manner of heavy objects - from oversized bombs and attack helicopters to combat tanks and cargo containers. A special version even featured skies as its undercarriage.

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March 2018 - Flight tests of an S-65 featuring a composite main rotor blade assembly are ongoing. Certification is scheduled for later in 2018 and will be an offered upgrade to E- and F-models as well as to the related CH-54A/B model family. The airfoil on the new blade design is expected to increase overall efficiency of these aging platforms.

February 2020 - An improved Skycrane form, the S-64F+, has been detailed with all-modern powerplants, composite rotors, and modernized avionics suite. In addition to this, an autonomous operating function is being considered through the Sikorsky "Matrix" suite, allowing the fire-fighting forms to operate without a manned crew in danger.

co*ckpit
While traditional jobs involve workstations, office desks, or cubicles, aircraft provide operators with their own unique, ever-changing view of the world below.

[ Click to Enlarge ]

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Sikorsky CH-54B Tarhe Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter.

2 x Pratt & Whitney T73-P-700 turboshaft engines developing 4,800 shaft horsepower each powering a six-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor.
Propulsion

149 mph
240 kph | 130 kts
Max Speed

18,373 ft
5,600 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling

230 miles
370 km | 200 nm
Operational Range

1,330 ft/min
405 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Sikorsky CH-54B Tarhe Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

88.5 ft
26.97 m
O/A Length

72.0 ft
(21.95 m)
O/A Width

25.4 ft
(7.75 m)
O/A Height

19,798 lb
(8,980 kg)
Empty Weight

46,297 lb
(21,000 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane family line.

YCH-54A - Six Pre-Production Aircraft
CH-54A - Initial Production Model; fitted with 2 x T-73-P1 series turboshaft engines of 4,500 shaft horsepower; 54 examples produced.
CH-54B - Second Production Model; increased weight; based on the CH-54A; fitted with 2 x T-73-P700 turboshaft engines of 4,800 shaft horsepower; 29 examples produced.
S-64 "Skycrane" - Civilian Variant of the US Army CH-54 Tarhe; 3 examples produced.
S-64A - Evaluation Models for the US Army; 6 examples delivered.
S-64E - Civilian Version based on the CH-54A production model for the US Army; 7 examples produced.
S-64 "Aircrane" - Current Civilian Production Form.
S-64E - Upgraded CH-54A production models; single new-build example.
S-64F - UPgraded CH-54B production models; fitted with 2 x Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A series engines.
S-64F+ - Proposed all-modern offering with Sikorsky autonomous flight suite (Matrix).

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 215 Units
Contractor(s): Sikorsky Aircraft / Erickson Air-Crane - USA

[ Italy; South Korea; United States ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 150mph

Lo: 75mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (149mph).

Graph Average of 113 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

215

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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1 / 10

Front right side view of an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color

2 / 10

Distant right side view of an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color

3 / 10

Close-up detail view of the main rotor mast on an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color

4 / 10

Low-angled right side view of an incoming Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter; color

5 / 10

A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter towing the M551 Sheridan tank; color

6 / 10

A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter in forward operations during the Vietnam War; color

7 / 10

A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter brings in an Army utility truck; color

8 / 10

A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter with specialized ski undercarriage; color

9 / 10

A pair of modified Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopters in flight; color

10 / 10

An Erickson S-64 Skycrane helicopter at rest; color

❮❯

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

TRANSPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Going Further...
The Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter appears in the following collections:

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