Sikorsky Wins $10.86B Navy Contract for 99 CH-53Ks

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company based in Stratford, Conn., was awarded a roughly $10.85–10.86 billion five-year U.S. Navy contract to build up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps, the largest-quantity order in the program’s history. The multiyear procurement bundles Lots 9–13, with deliveries expected between 2029 and 2034, to provide price predictability, production efficiencies and a steady flow of materials across 267 suppliers in 37 states and 17 suppliers in eight countries. Sikorsky has delivered 20 CH-53Ks and has another 63 in various stages of production; the CH-53K is the U.S. military’s most powerful heavy-lift helicopter, with about a 27,000-pound payload capacity, intended to replace the CH-53E and meet Marine lift needs in contested environments. Company and program officials said the award will stabilize the industrial base, optimize production, drive long-term affordability and sustain thousands of jobs, and the contract includes flexibility for the U.S. government to buy aircraft for international customers.