Israel army grounds CH-53 helicopters due to ‘technical malfunction’

The Israeli Air Force has stopped using its heavy transport CH-53 helicopter fleet after a “technical malfunction” appeared during a training flight on Wednesday, the Israeli military announced on Friday.

Chief Major General of the Israeli Air Force Tomer Bar ordered the grounding of the entire CH-53 fleet pending the completion of an investigation.

The aircraft — a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion model, known in Israel as a “Yasur” — landed safely without any damage or injuries among the crew at an air base in central Israel following the malfunction on Wednesday night.

In 1969, the aircraft entered service and have been in use until today. However, the fleet has experienced a number of maintenance issues in recent years.

Since 1997, when two Yasur helicopters collided in the air killing 73 soldiers, there have been several incidents in which the aircraft either crashed or made emergency landings. As a result, the entire fleet is due to be replaced.

The first batch of advanced copies will arrive in Israel in 2026 to replace the old aircraft.

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