Kacey Roberts
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary handed the eighth and ninth CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters to the U.S. Marine Corps in December 2022.
Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina, will serve as the home base of both aircraft and the manufacturer is on schedule to deliver additional King Stallion units to the service this year, Lockheed said Monday.
Sikorsky received approval to enter the full-rate production phase of USMC’s CH-53K program in December, eight months after the helicopter reached initial operating capability status.
The aircraft builder is working to obtain long-lead items and other key materials for a digital factory that will support FRP work.
Marines will use CH-53K to carry out maritime- and ground-based logistics operations.
