Sikorsky receives $2.7B contract extension for CH-53K full-rate production

The Navy has awarded Sikorsky a $2.7 billion block-buy contract modification for the production of 35 additional CH-53K helicopters, according to a Thursday announcement, marking the program’s largest order to date as it moves into full-rate production.

A separate announcement from Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, indicates the order includes 27 aircraft for the Marine Corps and eight for the Israeli Air Force. Sikorsky will begin delivering the helicopters in 2026, the release adds.

The award extends an existing Marine Corps contract -- spanning the first six lots of low-rate initial production aircraft -- to Lot 7 and Lot 8 full-rate production aircraft. Lot 7 will include 12 helicopters while Lot 8 will include 15, the announcement states.

The CH-53K, which is replacing the legacy CH-53E Super Stallion as the Marine Corps’ primary heavy-lift helicopter, was cleared to enter full-rate production earlier in fiscal year 2023. Boasting triple the external load carrying capacity of the legacy system, the CH-53K is expected to play an important role transporting personnel, equipment and vehicles to support distributed operations.

The Marine Corps is preparing for an initial CH-53K deployment in 2025 while Sikorsky looks to ramp up production quantities to a rate of two aircraft per month. In April, a Sikorsky spokesman said the company was finishing construction of its final batch of seven LRIP helicopters.

The Navy plans to buy 21 aircraft per year from FY-25 through FY-28 and procure a total of 196 over the course of the program, budget documents indicate.

“This contract significantly advances Sikorsky and the U.S. Navy on the path toward a multi-year agreement and the 200 aircraft Marine Corps Program of Record,” the Sikorsky announcement states, adding the company is procuring long-lead materials to support increased production and utilizing “digital tools” to improve construction efficiency.

“This contract award for 35 CH-53K helicopters stabilizes Sikorsky’s nationwide supply base, creates additional production efficiencies, and provides the U.S. Marine Corps with transformative 21st century technologies,” Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo said in a statement included in the release.