The newly rebranded U.S. Department of War announced on September 26, 2025, that Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company, has received a $10.3 billion contract covering 92 CH-53K “King Stallion” heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps, spanning Lots 9 through 13. The award includes aircraft production as well as programmatic and logistics support, making it the largest single production buy of the CH-53K program to date and marking the transition into full-rate production.
Designed to replace the aging CH-53E “Super Stallion,” the CH-53K delivers next-generation performance with three General Electric T408 engines producing 22,500 shp combined, enabling the aircraft to lift 36,000 pounds over 110 nautical miles in high-hot conditions. Advanced composite rotor blades, fly-by-wire controls, and an integrated health monitoring system reduce pilot workload, improve survivability, and lower lifecycle maintenance costs.
Internally, the CH-53K can transport up to 30 fully equipped Marines or large internal cargo, while its precision cargo handling system allows a single crew member to manage external loads — a critical feature for rapid ship-to-shore logistics. The helicopter is purpose-built for Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), extending Marine Corps reach across dispersed and contested environments in the Indo-Pacific.
This multiyear contract secures Sikorsky’s Connecticut production line through 2030, sustaining thousands of jobs and stabilizing the small- to mid-tier defense industrial base. Its fixed-price incentive structure shares cost and performance risk between Sikorsky and the government, improving cost control and production efficiency.
More than a procurement milestone, this contract signals the operational debut of a transformational platform that will preserve U.S. heavy-lift dominance and enhance Marine Corps expeditionary capabilities well into the next decade.
