A twin-turbine naval helicopter designed around anti-submarine warfare and later adapted to many additional missions.
Development
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King was developed by Sikorsky Aircraft in United States as a maritime-combat aircraft. The family first flew in 1959 and entered service in 1961. Its recorded airframe configuration is rotorcraft, with the family classified in the archive as core combat-aircraft scope.
Operational History
Operationally, Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is represented primarily in the maritime-combat aircraft role. The sourced variant records include service with United States Navy and Fleet Air Arm. The current structured record does not attach a specific conflict authority to this family; operational context remains limited to sourced service and role data. Role tags attached to the family include anti submarine.
Variants and Lineage
Major variants represented in the structured record include HSS-2, SH-3A, SH-3H, and Sea King HAS.5.
Variants
| Designation | Type | Role | Recorded operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSS-2 | Production | Maritime Combat | United States Navy |
| SH-3A | Production | Maritime Combat | United States Navy |
| SH-3H | Production | Maritime Combat | United States Navy |
| Sea King HAS.5 | Production | Maritime Combat | Fleet Air Arm |
Representative specifications
Configuration-specific profiles are shown separately so values from different variants are not blended into one false “standard” aircraft.
HSS-2 — C014 baseline technical profile
- Crew
- 4
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T58 turboshafts
Armament: Anti-submarine torpedoes or depth weapons in naval ASW configurations.
Sources and further reading
Structured references supporting this aircraft family, variants, specifications, and narrative sections.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985-86 — Jane’s Publishing Company · Tier 3
- The United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 — Putnam · Tier 3