Sikorsky, a
Lockheed Martin company, delivered two CH-53K heavy lift helicopters to the US Marine Corps in the final quarter of 2022 and they join the seven already in operation at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Bill Falk, director Sikorsky CH-53K programme, said: “Sikorsky’s staff are using advanced technologies to manufacture the CH-53K helicopter, which increases capabilities and survivability to the US Marine Corps. With the CH-53K’s transformative technologies, more is possible for the Marine Corps and our allies when deterring threats in the changing battlefield landscape.”
The CH‑53K’s heavy-lift capabilities exceed all other US Department of Defense rotary wing platforms and is the only heavy-lift helicopter that will remain in production through 2032 and beyond. Sikorsky is on track to deliver more multi-mission King Stallion helicopters to the US Marine Corps in 2023.
The US Navy declared ‘Full Rate Production’ for the CH-53K programme in December 2022; a decision that is expected to increase production to more than 20 helicopters annually in the coming years. The expanded production includes 12 helicopters in various stages of production for the government of Israel.
Sikorsky is procuring long-lead items and critical materials to support ramping CH-53K production to full rate production in its digital factory. The CH-53K is an intelligent aircraft developed to 21st century standards, bringing improved safety and survivability to the battlefield. The CH-53K helicopter will provide many decades of world-wide heavy lift and multi-mission service to the Marine Corps, the Joint Force and our Allies.
A digital fly-by-wire Flight Control System (FCS) is one of many impressive capabilities setting the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter apart from any other heavy lift aircraft. The FCS is an electronic flight control system teamed with a digital computer that replaces mechanical control systems in an aircraft making it easier to handle in degraded visual environments, providing all the aircraft motion – not just supplementing the pilot for stability.