pminer Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Top of the day gents! Ok...was the Navy MH-53E ever painted in Navy Blue livery? If so....any pics you can share? I've looked everywhere. Thanks! Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 If by "Navy Blue" you actually mean Engine Gray with hi-viz markings, there have only been a couple in special schemes, as seen in a few posts on page 4 of @YF65_CH53E's thread: Otherwise, they've always been in dark or light grey finishes with toned-down/low-viz markings... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pminer Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 No…I mean Navy Blue. Not the current engine gray scheme. This is what I’m asking. Navy Blue before -vs- the current Engine Gray scheme. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hegedus Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 No. Overall blue for helos went away long before the MH-53E came along. They started out in Engine Gray and then went to the low-viz tactical grays like everything else. The Echo didn’t come along until the mid-80s and helos were gray long before then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 There was an all black HM-14 MH bird but I could not find a Navy blue which probably would have been a centennial scheme. The rest where as mentioned Engine or Lo Vis Greys. Haven’t seen any other colors. If looking for a different color Japanese MH’s were white/light grey. HTH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, Joe Hegedus said: No. Overall blue for helos went away long before the MH-53E came along. They started out in Engine Gray and then went to the low-viz tactical grays like everything else. The Echo didn’t come along until the mid-80s and helos were gray long before then. "long before" is a slight understatement! As you say, the MH-53E didn't enter service until the mid-80's - 1986, to be exact - whereas FS16081 was first proscribed for use on Navy helos in MIL-C-18263A-1 of 1957, a mere 29 years earlier! 9 hours ago, pminer said: No…I mean Navy Blue. Not the current engine gray scheme. This is what I’m asking. Navy Blue before -vs- the current Engine Gray scheme. The reason why I queried your use of the term "Navy Blue" was because even some supposedly authoritative publications have confused Sea Blue Gloss (ANA 623/FS16042) and Engine Gray finishes - Squadron Signal's 'H-3 In Action' is a prime example, with numerous photo captions and illustrations stating that the aircraft depicted were in the former, despite its use having been discontinued two years before the HSS-2 prototype's first flight, let alone actual in-service use! Edited October 15, 2023 by andyf117 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hemspilot Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) OK, here's a good question, there' some quoting confusion where Engine Grey is numbered x6076 rather than x6081, which one is correct? Also, IIRC only Sea Dragons were painted Engine Grey, the CHs wore mostly USMC colors. Edited October 16, 2023 by hemspilot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, hemspilot said: OK, here's a good question, there' some quoting confusion where Engine Grey is numbered x6076 rather than x6081, which one is correct? Also, IIRC only Sea Dragons were painted Engine Grey, the CHs wore mostly USMC colors. The mini-minefield that surrounds FS colours and their names - and whether those were 'official' or not - has been the subject of debate here before... ....my view has always been that the purpose of the FS numbering system was precisely to avoid possible confusion over which colour was meant if they were referred to by names... FS x6076 and x6081 are prime examples - the gloss (1-prefix) versions can both frequently be found with the name "Engine Gray" attached - in the case of USN helos, as per my preceding post, the shade applied was originally specified to be 16081, and later 36081 for 'toned-down' finishes, as on the MH-53E being discussed here... ....however, the latter lustreless colour was generally named as 'Dark Gunship Gray' - whereas the semi-lustreless 26081 was known as 'Seaplane Gray', harking back to the preceding ANA 625... As for the Sea Dragons being the only Echos to be finished in 36081, you saved yourself by saying "the CHs wore mostly"! The Navy's few CH-53Es used on Fleet Support duties had a similar finish to the minesweepers, as seen in this post, also from Gunny Dan's thread: Edited October 16, 2023 by andyf117 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hemspilot Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 Yep, I was actually just looking at those photos, I stand corrected. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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