The Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion was designed as a heavy-lift assault transport to succeed to the CH-37 for service with the US Marine Corps and is currently the largest helicopter in service in the West. The Sea Stallion featured a rear-loading ramp in its voluminous fuselage capable of carrying over three dozen equipped troops, trucks, 105-mm howitzers, HAWK SAMs, and even an Honest John SSM on its trailer. It was later adopted by both the USMC and the US Navy as the improved Super Stallion which featured a whopping three engines and was optimized for multiple naval roles including minesweeping. It would also not take long before the USAF also adapted the CH-53 for its own uses, in this case for support of special operations such as infliltration and exfiltration where it equipped with some of the most advanced avionics ever fitted on a helicopter. The CH-53 saw extensive action in Vietnam and virtually every conflict involving the US since, it has also been exported to German (built locally by VFV-Fokker), Iran, Israel, Mexico and Japan. Currently it is in the process of being replaced by the tilt-rotor V-22.

The first Sikorsky S-65 flew on 14 October 1964 and entered service as the CH-53A Sea Stallion, later improved into the CH-53D with increased troop loading capacity, new engines, and folding of main and tail rotors for storage on carriers. The US Navy eventually adopted the RH-53A for mine countermeasures and the RH-53D for minesweeping, both based on their USMC counterparts although with a number of structural improvements and an inflight refuelling probe. The ultimate version of the S-65 was the CH-53E Super Stallion, adopted by both the USN and USMC as their standard multi-role heavy-duty helicopter. The CH-53E features a lengthened fuselage, three engines and a larger seven-blade rotor giving it twice the lift capability of its predecessor (mine countermeasures were installed in the MH-53E Sea Dragon ). Finally, USAF versions began with the HH-53B development for search-and-rescue (later improved in the HH-53C) which was nicknamed 'Super Jolly Green Giant' and later, the armed MH-53H Pave Low (previously designated HH-53H) for all-weather support of special operations. Newer versions like the MH-53J Pave Low III and MH-53M Pave Low IV carry advanced avionics including FLIR, terrain-following radar and GPS guidance.