ILA 2012: Upgraded CH-53GA to begin official certification shortly

Official certification of the VFW-Sikorsky CH-53GA Stallion medium/heavy-lift helicopter is expected to take place later in the month, following the official handover of the first of 40 such aircraft to the German Army at the ILA Airshow in Berlin on 12 September.

Speaking to reporters at the event, Eurocopter programme manager Stefan Emig said that certification of the upgraded helicopter will now be carried out by the Bundeswehr Technical Centre 61, the Air Force Weapon System Command and the Army Aviation School.

Following a successful certification, the type will be formally inducted into army service within the next five to six months, he said. Already, the first three aircraft have flown more than 100 hours of operational test flights over the past month, and the first three crews have been trained (the first helicopter to be formally handed over to the Bundeswehr was actually the third to be upgraded).

Official delivery of the first helicopter back to the German military marks the formal beginning of the delivery phase of the upgrade contract that was signed with Eurocopter in 2007.