Marines assigned to Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 flew the CH-53K helicopters during the Advanced Crash Damaged and Disabled Aircraft Recovery Course, which ran from July 10 to July 17. The squadron carried out sling-lift operations on three different aircraft types — the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-18 Hornet — completing every lift without incident, according to the Wisconsin National Guard.
The King Stallion is the Marine Corps’ newest heavy-lift helicopter, built to carry loads that older airframes cannot manage, including battle-damaged fighter jets. Its performance during the exercise offered a real-world test of the aircraft’s ability to support recovery operations far from a maintenance depot — a scenario military planners consider increasingly likely in a future conflict where airfields and repair facilities could come under attack.
More than 85 military and civilian defense partners took part in the course, drawing personnel from multiple U.S. service branches alongside counterparts from Poland, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore. The Joint Program Office, which administers the course, designed the training to prepare crews to recover aircraft safely and efficiently under conditions that mirror the pressure and unpredictability of an actual crash site.
