The super strange helicopter America once deployed in Vietnam
Before the CH-53 helicopter was deployed in Vietnam, the task of transporting large cargo for the US Army was undertaken by the CH-37 Mojave.
The Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave is a heavy-lift helicopter used in small numbers by the United States during the Vietnam War. The CH-37 was introduced in 1953 and officially introduced in 1956.
The aircraft is 19.59 m long; empty weight 9,469 kg; maximum take-off weight 14,090 kg, can carry about 24 soldiers with fully equipped weapons or 24 stretchers, compared to that time, these are quite impressive numbers.
Thanks to two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-54 Double Wasp engines with a capacity of 2,100 horsepower (1,583 KW), the CH-37 can fly at a maximum speed of 209 km/h, a range of 233 km when carrying the largest load, and a climbing speed of 4.6 m/s.
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| CH-37 Mojave helicopters were deployed by the US Army in the Vietnam battlefield. |
During the early stages of the Vietnam War, the US sent only four CH-37s to serve in transport operations. The CH-37 was not only capable of carrying cargo and lifting artillery, but could also lift other helicopters when they were damaged.
With a low tail design, cargo must be loaded into the CH-37 helicopter through the front door right under the nose. In addition, the aircraft can also lift light tanks or armored vehicles quite easily.
The CH-37's "exposed" engines on both sides were considered a major weakness, making it very vulnerable to enemy anti-aircraft fire because it was no different from a "bullet-absorbing target". In addition, the CH-37 was also complained about its ugly shape, no different from a sitting frog.
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| CH-37 Mojave transport helicopter in "mouth open" position to load cargo into the cabin |
In addition to the design and slow maneuverability shortcomings mentioned above, the CH-37 Mojave was also criticized for being bulky and requiring a very large landing area, making it unable to serve on the front lines like other helicopters.
The CH-37 had a rather short service life in the US Army when it retired in the late 1960s after only 10 years of "active service". It was present in Vietnam for 6 years from 1963 to 1969 and was then replaced by the CH-53.
Due to the small number of deployments, the aircraft only operated in the rear and carried out a limited number of sorties, so there were no reports of losses for this strange-shaped transport helicopter.
