Sikorsky Advances CH-53K Helicopter Program

On March 14, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, proudly announced the successful joining of the second CH-53K helicopter into the flight test program, marking its first flight. The inaugural aircraft has successfully expanded its flight envelope to 120 knots as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter initiative.

“The addition of a second aircraft to our flight operations marks a significant milestone for the CH-53K program,” stated Mike Torok, Sikorsky’s Vice President of CH-53K Programs. “With both helicopters participating in flight tests, we are poised to accelerate our envelope expansion efforts as we swiftly progress toward our initial operational test assessment and full aircraft system qualification.”

The Engineering Development Models (EDM) of the CH-53K heavy lift helicopters took to the skies for their first flights on October 27, 2015, and January 22, 2016. Together, these helicopters have accumulated over 35 flight hours, including several missions helmed by active duty USMC pilots. As the flight test program develops, these initial CH-53K aircraft will be joined by two additional units, firmly establishing the U.S. Marine Corps’ next-generation heavy lift capabilities over a planned three-year testing period.

These two initial units are the most thoroughly instrumented of the Engineering Development Models (EDM), primarily focusing on structural flight loads and envelope expansion. The subsequent two EDM helicopters, which are set to commence flight operations in 2016, will concentrate on performance, propulsion, and avionics qualifications.

“The flight of two CH-53K helicopters is truly exhilarating,” remarked Col. Hank Vanderborght, U.S. Marine Corps Program Manager for Heavy Lift Helicopters. “Our project is on track to deliver this remarkable heavy-lift capability to our warfighters.”

Sikorsky continues its efforts on the CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps. This innovative helicopter maintains comparable physical dimensions while significantly reducing its footprint from its predecessor, the three-engine CH-53E SUPER STALLION, while also tripling the payload capacity to 27,000 pounds over a distance of 110 nautical miles under challenging “high hot” conditions.

The CH-53K helicopter boasts cutting-edge features including a modern glass cockpit, fly-by-wire flight controls, fourth-generation rotor blades with anhedral tips, a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head, upgraded engines, a locking cargo rail system compatible with U.S. Air Force pallets, enhanced external cargo handling capabilities, improved survivability, and greater reliability and maintainability.

The U.S. Department of Defense has a program of record for 200 CH-53K aircraft, with plans for the Marine Corps to establish eight active duty squadrons, one training squadron, and one reserve squadron to meet operational requirements.