“This milestone operation highlights the growing collaboration across military branches and affirms the 621st Contingency Response Wing’s role in advancing rapid deployment capabilities for next-generation aircraft,” Von Denes said. He and his team joined a Marine Corps Helicopter Support Team to sling load a non-flyable jet in a proof-of-concept exercise simulating recovery and manoeuvre.
The team carried out load certification testing, sling configuration analysis, and cargo characteristic documentation to enable the successful lift. “The meticulous preparation from my team at home station ensured the effective skillset which enabled the successful 500-mile CH-53K helicopter transport of the jet—marking a major step forward in agile logistics and future aircraft mobility testing,” Von Denes said.
Two weeks earlier, Von Denes and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gibert Lopez conducted a crane test lift to verify sling rigging, pitch and bank attitudes, and control surface states. The CH-53K heavy lift helicopter subsequently transferred the aircraft more than 500 miles from NAS Patuxent River to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, where it will be displayed.
“We treated it like it was our jet going along for the ride,” Von Denes said. “It took weeks, if not months, to prepare for this operation. Working with the Marine HST was great, and I look forward to continuing this relationship in the future. This wasn’t just another job; it was a showcase of expertise, proving that attention to detail on the ground translates directly to groundbreaking achievements in the air. Additionally, it shows that we’re always ready to recover critical assets, wherever and whenever they are needed most.”
The F-35B, designated BF-1, was the first of its type to perform a vertical landing and no longer contained mission or propulsion systems, outer wings, or additional equipment. It will serve as a permanent static display at MCAS Beaufort, marking only the second time a CH-53K has been used to transport an F-35 after flight test activities.
