H-3是西科斯基公司在50年代末開發研製的中型反潛多用途直升機，也是H-34的後繼替代機型，在開發初期，其軍用代號為HSS-2，公司代號為S-61。1959年3月11日，原型機HSS-2試飛，1961年9月開始在海軍艦隊中服役，1962年2月5日，公司一架S-61創造了時速339千米的直升機世界記錄。 1962年4月，空軍開始試用HSS-2，後成為CH-3B，11月，空軍正式採用。 1965年3月6日，一架SH-3A以直線距離3405千米的成績，飛出了橫越北美大陸的直升機新記錄。
The H-3 is a medium-sized anti-submarine multi-purpose helicopter developed by Sikorsky in the late 1950s. It is also a successor to the H-34. In the early stage of development, its military code was HSS-2 and the company code was S-61. On March 11, 1959, the prototype HSS-2 flew for a test flight. In September 1961, it began to serve in the naval fleet. On February 5, 1962, the company’s S-61 set a world record for a helicopter with a speed of 339 kilometers per hour. In April 1962, the Air Force began to test HSS-2, which later became CH-3B. In November, the Air Force officially adopted it. On March 6, 1965, an SH-3A set a new record for a helicopter that traversed the North American continent with a straight-line distance of 3405 kilometers.

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