“Ramping up production of the most technologically advanced helicopter in the world allows the U.S. Marine Corps to build out its CH-53K King Stallion fleet,” said Bill Falk, director of the Sikorsky CH-53K program. Sikorsky is a Lockheed Martin company.
A network of more than 200 suppliers across 35 states supports the CH-53K program.
The Marine Corps’ approved acquisition objective is 200 aircraft.
In October 2020, the CH-53K program had five aircraft on the line at Sikorsky facilities in Connecticut and over two dozen in various stages of production.
The Corps declared Initial Operational Capability for the CH-53K helicopter in April, validating the platform’s operational readiness to forward deploy Marines and equipment across the globe.
Production through 2032 and beyond
The CH-53K is a multi-mission helicopter with heavy-lift capabilities that exceed all other U.S. Department of Defense rotary wing aircraft and is the only heavy-lift helicopter that will remain in production through 2032 and beyond. The CH-53K can carry a 27,000-pound external load over 110 nautical miles, which is more than triple the external load-carrying capacity of the legacy CH-53E aircraft.
The CH-53K King Stallion is designed to conduct expeditionary assault transport of armored vehicles, equipment, and personnel to support distributed operations deep inland from a sea-based center of operations. The aircraft can also support humanitarian relief, firefighting, and search and rescue.
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