Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin firm) has secured a $10.86 billion protection contract from the U.S. Navy to construct as much as 99 CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps over 5 years. That is this system’s largest order to date and deliveries are scheduled from 2029 via 2034. The multi-year procurement will ramp up manufacturing of the Corps’ next-generation heavy-lift fleet and strengthen the U.S. protection industrial base.
The five-year deal consolidates 5 separate manufacturing heaps (Tons 9–13) right into a single multiyear buy, making certain predictable pricing and a gradual stream of components. Sikorsky notes that 267 suppliers in 37 U.S. states and companions in eight international locations will present the elements. The contract goals to enhance affordability and effectivity for future CH-53K manufacturing by stabilizing the provision chain and workforce. The multiyear deal will save roughly $1.5 billion in procurement prices over the following 5 years.
The helicopter is designed to move troops, autos and as much as 27,000 kilos of cargo in a single sortie. Its three new GE38 engines present roughly thrice the lifting energy of the legacy CH-53E Tremendous Stallion. Designed to satisfy the Marines’ contested-airfield necessities, the King Stallion can ferry troops, gear and provides throughout hostile battlefields and function reliably underneath fireplace. Fashionable options corresponding to a fly-by-wire flight management system and superior avionics tremendously improve its efficiency, vary and survivability.
The CH-53K extends the attain of Marine air assault forces. The plane can carry armored autos and personnel “deep inland from a sea-based middle of operations,” a functionality cited as important for amphibious missions within the Indo-Pacific area. Sikorsky leaders say the King Stallion will give the Marines “unmatched energy, efficiency, survivability and dependability,” making certain a strategic benefit in future conflicts.
This contract continues the sequence of CH-53K purchases. Up to now, the Corps has obtained 20 King Stallions, with 63 extra in manufacturing, and different allied clients are keen to position orders. Israel has contracted for 12 CH-53K helicopters and Japan has reportedly proven curiosity within the kind. The $10.8 billion order locks in long-term manufacturing of the CH-53K and underscores its central function in Marine Corps heavy-lift operations and allied protection planning.
