The incident occurred at Twentynine Palms base in California on the afternoon of 22/8, but the information was only released by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on 25/8. A video posted on social media shows flames engulfing the CH-53E parked on the ground before firefighters extinguished the blaze.

A spokesperson for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing stated that the entire crew and those on board the helicopter evacuated safely and there were no casualties. The fire was brought under control after firefighting efforts. The US Marine Corps is investigating the cause of the incident and has not yet disclosed the extent of the damage to the CH-53E.

The CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter was developed in the 1970s based on the CH-53 Sea Stallion. The US Marine Corps has been operating the CH-53E since 1981 and plans to continue using it until 2030. It is one of the largest military helicopters in service worldwide.

The CH-53E has a crew of 5, including two pilots and three machine gunners, and can carry 37 or 55 soldiers depending on the seating arrangement. For transport missions, it can carry 14.5 tons of cargo internally or over 16 tons externally.

The production cost of each CH-53E in the early 1990s was almost 24.4 million USD, equivalent to approximately 55.8 million USD today. This does not include maintenance or upgrade costs after production.

Nguyen Tien (According to Task&Purpose, AFP, AP)