The Sikorsky S-53 was a development of the S-51 series and was designed specifically for utility, observation, and rescue duties aboard aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers.
The S-53 featured a fuselage and rotor system very similar to that of the S-51, but with some modifications: the tail rotor was raised above head-height for safety, the landing gear was strengthened for operations from a pitching deck, and the three-bladed main rotor was fitted with a folding mechanism. Amphibious landing gear was optional. A trapdoor in the cabin floor permitted the installation of a camera or a hoist for the transfer of bulky cargo by means of a sling.
The prototype, Bu. 30368, first flew on 22 September 1947.
Two prototypes of this three- to five-place aircraft were procured in 1948 by the U.S. Navy as the XHJS-1 (30368 and 30370), but no production contract resulted.
Additional attempts to market the S-53 were unsuccessful, and the model was developed no further.
XHJS-1
Engine: one 525hp Continental R-975-34
Rotor diameter: 49’0″
Max speed: 110 mph
Seats: 3-4
All Aero 