HMH-772 has officially been a “Squadron Minus” (-) since 2008 and is operating only six CH-53E aircraft. With fielding of the first CH-53K during 2022 in the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, it is expected that soon more CH-53Es will become available for HMH-772 so the unit can build up again to a ‘1.0 Squadron’ with 16 aircraft.


Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling (HAAR)


Shawhan also praises the CH-53E refueling capabilities. “One of the unique features of the CH-53E is that it is capable of air- to-air refueling. Without refueling, the endurance of the CH-53E, depending on weight, cargo and mission, is approximately 3.5 hours. In situations where you have to range a big distance... sometimes HAAR is absolutely vital to that kind of mission. It is also very important for us to remain on station longer. Let’s say we conduct an insert with the Marines and they expect an extract at a certain time; they want us to be available for any sort of contingency, such as a casevac (casualty evacuation) or if there is something else they want us to come in for. When we fly back to base or land on deck, we will not be available for them. If we go up to the AAR track and refuel, and if they need us at a moment’s notice, we can get off the hose and come in immediately and respond. It increases our flexibility and response time drastically,” Shawhan says.


“Training this specific skill is one of the things that is harder to schedule: you have to have good weather, the aircraft have to cooperate maintenance-wise, and you have to have the


62 Sept/Oct 2024


external support of the C-130 Hercules unit,” adds Maj. Jason W. Stapleton, operations officer at HMH-772. “As a result we don’t do it as routinely as we would like to do, so every time you are knocking off a little bit of rust. There is a very small margin for error, and as a result your stress level is a little bit higher. Helicopter air-to-air refueling is heavy finesse.” Stapleton was commissioned in May 2007 and earned his wings in 2009. He started training on the TH-57 in Pensacola and completed flight training on the CH-53E in April 2010 with HMHT-302 at MCAS New River and became assigned to HMH-366, also based at MCAS New River. Stapleton was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan in the Helmand Province. From November 2011 until the summer of 2012, he was deployed back again to Afghanistan. He participated actively in relief efforts during Hurricane Sandy from October to November 2012 with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1). In April 2016 he went to HMX-1 at MCAS Quantico to fly the presidential helicopters, and moved in July 2021 to HMH-772 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to become Operations Officer in charge of flight planning and exercises. To date, he’s accumulated 2,500 flight hours with 500 during combat.


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