CH-53E Super Stallion BuNo 161282/YJ02 prepares for take off from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, on March 7, 2019.

Lance Corporal Madeline Jones/US Marine Corps

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 (HMH-465) has taken delivery of the first Sikorsky CH-53E Sea Stallion, BuNo 161282/YJ02, to complete the H-53 Reset programme in the Western Pacific.

The announcement, made on March 7, 2019, marked the return of the helicopter following a combined planned maintenance interval (PMI) and H-53 Reset managed by the Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific.

Maintenance on the helicopter was performed by Korean Air Lines in Busan, South Korea. A PMI is required very 900–1,600 flight hours or ten years, whichever occurs first. According to the US Marine Corps, the PMI accomplishes preventative, corrective and investigative maintenance functions designed to improve aircraft material condition and facilitate availability.

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Roy, Commanding Officer of HMH-465 said: “The Reset programme’s goal is to provide long-term health to the CH-53E. Reset aircraft have proven to be more reliable, with higher mission-capable rates, than non- Reset aircraft.”