Sikorsky to build 9 more CH-53K King Stallion helicopters for Marines

Photo | Contributed Sikorsky's CH-53K King Stallion helicopter is produced in Connecticut.

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By Liese Klein

The U.S. Marine Corps awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to build nine more CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters at its Sikorsky division in Stratford, the company announced Tuesday.

The copters will be delivered starting in 2025, and will be built “at a lower unit price than previous lot buys, resulting in significant savings for the U.S. government and taxpayers,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement.

Sikorsky Director Bill Falk said, “Sikorsky has a deep understanding of the heavy-lift mission and an enduring partnership with the U.S. Marines Corps, enabling our team and our proven supply chain to offer tailored solutions resulting in more efficient missions.”

Sikorsky unveiled its first CH-53K “King Stallion” completed in Stratford in September. Topped by six 600-pound blades plus a tail rotor, the aircraft can lift 36,000 pounds, fly as high as 16,000 feet and transport up to 32 troops or 24 medevac patients at a time.

Each King Stallion costs $90-$100 million apiece and Sikorsky expects to build 200 of them.

Seven CH-53K aircraft are currently in build at the Stratford factory, and 47 more are in various stages of production.

The U.S. Marine Corps uses heavy-lift choppers in expeditionary transport of armored vehicles, equipment and troops, “to support distributed operations deep inland from a sea-based center of operations, critical in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to the Lockheed Martin statement.

Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.