The US Navy's state-of-the-art helicopter fleet provides a decisive edge to military commanders by providing critical support for a wide array of missions ranging from heavy lift operations to search and rescue.

The Navy has three different kinds of helicopters to enhance its advantage at sea: the CH-53E Super Stallion, SH-60 Seahawk and the V-22 Osprey. Some of these platforms have multiple variants within the US Navy and US Marine Corps.

With its helicopters and other platforms, the Navy is poised to respond rapidly to crises worldwide.

The Super Stallion

The heaviest of the Navy's heavy-lift helicopters is the CH-53E Super Stallion, a hulking helicopter that can carry heavy military equipment but is still compact enough to fit onboard an amphibious warfare ship.

The Super Stallion can carry troops and equipment from ship to shore, support amphibious assaults or provide sustainment and supplies.

It is capable of lifting 16 tons at sea level, transporting the load 50 nautical miles (92 km) and returning.

The Super Stallion can carry a sizable load: a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) or an M198 howitzer with ammunition and crew. It can seat up to 55 passengers.

The Super Stallion is also equipped to recover aircraft up to its size, which includes all Marine Corps aircraft except the KC-130.

The CH-53E, the latest model of the aircraft, features the addition of a third engine, a dual point cargo hook system, improved main rotor blades and composite tail rotor blades.

It is also equipped with a dual digital automatic flight control system and engine anti-ice system that gives the aircraft an all-weather capability.

The Seahawk

The SH-60 Seahawk provides the US and allied navies with a vital edge in international waters.

The multi-mission helicopter is based on the US Army's UH-60 Black Hawk, with the main difference being its folding main rotor blades and hinged tail to allow it to fit aboard ships more easily.

The aircraft is deployed aboard a number of US naval vessels, including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Wasp-class amphibious assault ships. It can deploy on any air-capable frigate, destroyer, cruiser, amphibious assault ship, littoral combat ship or aircraft carrier.

The Turkish Naval Forces, the Hellenic Navy, the Royal Danish Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Saudi Navy and the Indian Navy also operate the Seahawk.

The Seahawk can perform anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, Naval Special Warfare insertion, vertical replenishment and medical evacuation.

The Seahawk has several versions, but the MH-60R is specifically equipped to handle anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare and special operations, including search and rescue.

The MH-60R is equipped with an integrated self-defense system that provides chaff and flare countermeasures, and self-protection for radio frequency and laser threats.

The Osprey

The Navy's V-22 Osprey is a versatile helicopter-airplane hybrid that provides critical transport using its unique ability to combine vertical takeoff and landing with long-range transport and high-speed maneuvers.

With such versatility, the Osprey offers important mobility for amphibious operations.

The Osprey was developed more than 30 years ago to transport troops and gear at higher speeds and with greater range than traditional helicopters can.

It is the world's first successful military tiltrotor to take to the air.

The Osprey has a distinctive appearance, with two engines on fixed wing tips housed within streamlined casings. The casings allow the Osprey to land and take off vertically. They then rotate forward to allow it to go faster like a fixed wing aircraft.

The CMV-22B variant was in December 2021 approved for carrier onboard delivery (COD), which involves the ferrying of personnel, mail, supplies and high-priority cargo, such as replacement parts, from shore bases to an aircraft carrier at sea.

The aircraft replaces the C-2A Greyhound for the COD mission.

The CMV-22B can provide long-range/ medium-lift service, has more operational flexibility than the Greyhound does and can complete operations that are shore-based, expeditionary or sea-based, according to the Navy.

If needed, it can also assist in warfighting, providing time-sensitive combat logistics needed to support combat operations. The Navy plans to procure 44 aircraft.