Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican

History

The Sikorsky S-61R twin-engine platform evolved from the SH-3 Aquaman series was a limited market success for the company. While in service, it became the CH-3 Aquaman and HH-3 Jolly Green Giant for the United States Air Force (USAF). For the U.S.

Coast Guard, it's known as the HH-3 "Pelican." The S-61R first flew in 1959 and was in production from then until the 1970s, when the service officially entered service in 1961. Today (2018) it still provides very limited service to some global operators.

In USCG service, the HH-3F Pelican was based on the search and rescue (SAR) oriented HH-3E model and was procured in a 1965 initiative. This type will perform the same all-weather long-range rescue role, with radar adaptability and water-landing capabilities.

The Pelicans had a career from the late 1960s to the late 1990s and served faithfully for decades until the Sikorsky HH-60J "Jayhawk" series (now MH-60T Jayhawk) modeled on the UH-60" The Black Hawk" series breathed a sigh of relief.

Under the guise of the Coast Guard, the HH-3F retains much of the form and function of earlier aircraft in the series. The pilots sat side by side on the nose. A radome protruding from the nose section.

The cabin is panel-style, dotted with rectangular windows, while sliding doors allow entry and exit. At the rear of the fuselage, below the tail boom, is an electric loading ramp. Portholes placed on the sides of the fuselage not only accommodate the legs of the main landing gear, but also increase the buoyancy capability for water landings (in combination with the helicopter's boat-like waterproof fuselage). The entire tricycle assembly is retractable into the design.

The empennage contains the vertical fin, the horizontal plane and the tail rotor unit (facing the port). The engine pair is mounted above the hull.

The U.S. military no longer uses the S-61R series of helicopters.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes