Third CH-53K helicopter delivered to Marine Corps
NewsJuly 26, 2022
STRATFORD, Connecticut. Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky has delivered the third low-rate initial production (LRIP) CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter to the Marine Corps, the company announced in a statement.
It is the first CH-53K from the Lot 2 LRIP contract, which the company won in 2019. It is the seventh CH-53K overall that Sikorsky has delivered. The other six are currently in operation at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, N.C.
The helicopter uses a single continuous data thread for design, manufacturing, training, and sustainment. It has avionics and flight control systems that are designed to allow for future software upgrades.
The Marine Corps plans to buy 200 CH-53K helicopters. Israel, Japan, and Germany are also potential buyers.