The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky [LMT] a $2.8 billion modification to obtain one other 35 full-rate CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopters.
This award specifically adds scope to a previous contract for 12 Lot 7 and 15 Lot 8 block buy Marine Corps helicopters and eight Israel helicopters in addition to associated aircraft and programmatic support, logistical support and spares.
The work is predicted to be finished by December 2027 while Sikorsky said it’s going to start delivering the aircraft in 2026.
The corporate underscored that is the biggest procurement for the CH-53K to date.
$991 million in fiscal 12 months 2023 Navy aircraft procurement funds and $325 million in Foreign Military Sales customer funds were obligated on the time of award.
The highest executive at Sikorsky said this contract will help stabilize the corporate’s supply base because it ramps up production.
“This contract award for 35 CH-53K helicopters stabilizes Sikorsky’s nationwide supply base, creates additional production efficiencies, and provides the U.S. Marine Corps with transformative twenty first century technologies,” Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky, said in an announcement.
The Marine Corps announced the CH-53K previously reached Initial Operational Capability in April 2022 (Defense Every day, April 25, 2022).
By December 2022 the Navy declared full-rate production for the CH-53K and Sikorsky said it expects to extend production to over 29 helicopters annually “in the approaching years.”
The CH-53K is supposed to exchange the older CH-53E helicopter, but with 3 times the lift capability and in a position to transport the complete amount of the vertical Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
The Marine Corps plans to deploy the primary CH-53K marine Expeditionary Unit detachment in fiscal 12 months 2024.
In 2021, the State Department approved a possible $3.4 billion deal for Israel to purchase as much as 18 CH-53Ks to exchange their legacy CH-53D Yasur helicopters (Defense Every day, July 30, 2021).
Sikorsky said these eight helicopters certain for Israel are on top of the primary 4 previously agreed to in 2022 under FMS authorities.