Navy awards Sikorsky LRIP Lot 4 contract for six CH-53Ks

The Navy has awarded Sikorsky a $550 million contract for six more CH-53K low-rate initial production Lot 4 helicopters.

Sikorsky is the prime contractor for the CH-53K program, and is already on contract to produce a total of 14 helicopters for LRIP Lots 1, 2 and 3. The first LRIP Lot 1 helicopter is set for delivery in September 2021.

The contract, awarded Monday, is for the production and delivery of the six helicopters and "programmatic and logistics support, rate tooling and physical configuration audits."

Bill Falk, Sikorsky's CH-53K program director, told Inside Defense last month that production remained on track despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Falk said in a statement to Inside Defense Tuesday that Sikorsky is committed to supporting the Marine Corps to maximize the helicopters' benefits.

"The production of this CH-53K helicopter represents a new era in capabilities, technologies, safety and mission flexibility for the U.S. Marine Corps," he said. "Pilots are already training on state-of-the-art flight training devices to prepare in a safe, cost-effective manner for operational deployment."