Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane - Military Factory

The global defense reference actively compiled since 2003 MENU AVIATION & AEROSPACE INFANTRY SMALL ARMS VEHICLES & ARTILLERY NAVAL WARFARE × AVIATION & AEROSPACE Airpower 2025 Aircraft by Country Compare Aircraft Manufacturers INFANTRY SMALL ARMS Warfighter 2025 Small Arms by Country VEHICLES & ARTILLERY Armor 2025 Armor by Country WARSHIPS & SUBMARINES Navies 2025 Ships by Country U.S. MILITARY PAY 2026 MILITARY RANKS Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane

Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter

United States | 1962

"The unique Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane heavy-lift helicopter also spawned a military form in the CH-54 Tarhe for the United States Army."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/03/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content. The original Sikorsky S-60 proved itself as a heavy-lift helicopter through its sole example completed. This model was born from the established CH-47 "Mojave" (detailed elsewhere on this site) of the United States military and used as the basis for the dimensionally larger S-64 "Skycrane" heavy-lift series. The large helicopter - easily identifiable by its largely missing fuselage section - has seen consistent service in the civilian market since introduction in the 1960s. It served as the base design for the military-minded CH-54 "Tarhe" line as well. A prototype went airborne for the first time on May 9th, 1962 and, in 1992, production rights for the series was obtained by Erickson Air-Crane which has taken on manufacture of the large helicopter from Sikorsky since. Total production of S-64 units was 110 beginning with the original S-64 built in three examples. These were followed by six evaluation models for the United States Army as the S-64A. From that came the S-64B which was the civilian-minded version of the Army's CH-54A model and seven were produced. Under Erickson, the line was broadened to include the S-64E and S-64F model marks, these becoming upgraded forms of the CH-54A and CH-54B respectively - the F-model introducing Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A series engines. Civilian market operators of the S-64 are found in Italy, South Korea and the United States. Its primary role is in firefighting where its unique configuration allows the helicopter to carry a considerable water load over uneven terrain, dropping its contents onto raging wildfires with the hope of putting the fire source out. Production of the military-minded Tarhe yielded 105 total units of its own beginning with the six YCH-54A pre-production models. These were followed by the CH-54A production form which fitted 2 x PW T73-P-1 series turboshaft engines of 4,500 horsepower and 54 examples were built to the standard. The CH-54B saw an increase in overall weight as well as a twin-wheeled undercarriage introduced while power was now served through PW T73-P799 turboshaft engines of 4,800 horsepower. 37 examples were manufactured. Beyond its service with the United States Army, the CH-54 has been featured by the NASA service of the United States for various program work. In military use, the Tarhe has hauled all manner of heavy objects - from oversized bombs and attack helicopters to combat tanks and cargo containers. A special version even featured skies as its undercarriage. Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted. Operators [+] Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing. Total Production: 215 Units Contractor(s): Sikorsky Aircraft / Erickson Air-Crane - USA [ Italy; South Korea; United States ] Mission Roles [+] TRANSPORT Power & Performance [+] Propulsion 2 x Pratt & Whitney T73-P-700 turboshaft engines developing 4,800 shaft horsepower each powering a six-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor. Maximum Speed 149 mph (240 kph | 130 kts) Service Ceiling 18,373 ft (5,600 m | 3 miles) Operational Range 230 miles (370 km | 200 nm) Rate-of-Climb 1,330 ft/min (405 m/min) City-to-City Ranges Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM). NYC LON LON PAR PAR BER BER MOS MOS TOK TOK SYD SYD LAX LAX NYC Structural [+] Crew 3 (MANNED) Length 88.5 ft (26.97 m) Width 72.0 ft (21.95 m) Height 25.4 ft (7.75 m) Empty Weight 19,798 lb (8,980 kg) MTOW 46,297 lb (21,000 kg) Variants [+] YCH-54A - Six Pre-Production Aircraft CH-54A - Initial Production Model; fitted with 2 x T-73-P1 series turboshaft engines of 4,500 shaft horsepower; 54 examples produced. CH-54B - Second Production Model; increased weight; based on the CH-54A; fitted with 2 x T-73-P700 turboshaft engines of 4,800 shaft horsepower; 29 examples produced. S-64 "Skycrane" - Civilian Variant of the US Army CH-54 Tarhe; 3 examples produced. S-64A - Evaluation Models for the US Army; 6 examples delivered. S-64E - Civilian Version based on the CH-54A production model for the US Army; 7 examples produced. S-64 "Aircrane" - Current Civilian Production Form. S-64E - Upgraded CH-54A production models; single new-build example. S-64F - UPgraded CH-54B production models; fitted with 2 x Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A series engines. S-64F+ - Proposed all-modern offering with Sikorsky autonomous flight suite (Matrix). Charts & Graphs [+] Relative Max Speed Hi: 150mph Lo: 75mph Aircraft Max Listed Speed (149mph). Graph Average of 113 MPH. Era Crossover Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any) ranging from the Early Years to the Present Day. Max Alt Visualization Production Comparison 215 36183 44000 Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production. Design Balance RANGE ALT SPEED Qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range. More coverage = Better balanced. MACH Regime (Sonic) Sub Trans Super Hyper HiHyper ReEntry ♦ RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: 19030 Aviation Timeline EarlyYrs WWI Interwar WWII ColdWar Postwar Modern Future ♦ Recognitions [+] [ Tap Anywhere to Close ] [ Tap Anywhere to Close ] Cockpit While traditional jobs involve workstations, office desks, or cubicles, aircraft provide operators with their own unique, ever-changing view of the world below. [ Click to Enlarge ] 1 / 10 Front right side view of an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color 2 / 10 Distant right side view of an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color 3 / 10 Close-up detail view of the main rotor mast on an Erickson Skycrane helicopter on display; color 4 / 10 Low-angled right side view of an incoming Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter; color 5 / 10 A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter towing the M551 Sheridan tank; color 6 / 10 A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter in forward operations during the Vietnam War; color 7 / 10 A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter brings in an Army utility truck; color 8 / 10 A Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter with specialized ski undercarriage; color 9 / 10 A pair of modified Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopters in flight; color 10 / 10 An Erickson S-64 Skycrane helicopter at rest; color ❮ ❯ Going Further... The Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Erickson S-64 Skycrane Heavy-Lift Cargo / Firefighting Helicopter appears in the following collections: HOME AVIATION INDEX AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS COMPARE AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT AIRCRAFT BY TYPE AIRCRAFT BY DECADE COLD WAR AIRCRAFT MODERN AIRCRAFT VIETNAM WAR AIRCRAFT Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies 2026 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code WW2 Weapons American War Deaths MilitaryRibbons.Info WorldWarNext.com The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content. Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, and WDMMW.org. ©2026 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2026 (23yrs)