Sikorsky Patch — Embroidered Patch
Where Rotary-Wing Aviation Began
Igor Sikorsky didn't just build helicopters — he created an entirely new way to wage war. This patch honors Sikorsky Aircraft, the company whose engineering genius gave the Marine Corps the UH-34 Seahorse, the CH-53 Sea Stallion, and the VH-3D Sea King that carries the President of the United States. If it rotates and it's Marine, chances are Sikorsky had a hand in it.
Sikorsky Aircraft has been intertwined with Marine Corps aviation since the earliest days of military helicopter operations. The company's UH-34 Seahorse became the Marine Corps' primary medium helicopter in the late 1950s and flew the first combat missions in Vietnam during Operation Shufly. Sikorsky then delivered the CH-53 Sea Stallion — the heavy-lift helicopter that could carry equipment and troops that no other helicopter in the inventory could handle. The CH-53E Super Stallion extended that capability, and the CH-53K King Stallion continues the lineage today as the most powerful helicopter in the Western world. Perhaps most famously, Sikorsky's VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters serve as Marine One, operated by HMX-1 to transport the President. From jungle LZs in Vietnam to the South Lawn of the White House, Sikorsky helicopters have defined Marine rotary-wing aviation.
Perfect For:
Marine helicopter pilots and aircrew, CH-53 community members, Sikorsky employees and retirees, rotary-wing aviation enthusiasts, HMX-1 personnel, and military aircraft patch collectors
Sikorsky built the future. Marines flew it into combat.
