The CH-53K Helicopter

The CH-53K King Stallion advances Sikorsky’s 50 years of manufacturing and operational success with its CH-53A, CH-53D/G, and CH-53E predecessors. Built to thrive on the modern battlefield, including shipboard operations, the CH-53K aircraft is designed to be intelligent, reliable, low maintenance and survivable in the most austere and remote forward operating bases.

CH-53K

The CH-53K helicopter has been designed and built to the exacting standards of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and will serve as its critical land and sea based logistics connector. The new heavy lifter will allow the U.S.

Marine Corps and international militaries to move troops and equipment from ship to shore, and to higher altitude terrain, more quickly and effectively than ever before.

CH-53K

The CH-53K Test Flight team has our most experienced and seasoned engineers, pilots, maintainers and support staff. The CH-53K continues to successfully execute key performance, test, and production milestones.

We have flown more than 1,200 test flight hours and the CH-53K has achieved key milestones in 2018 such as high altitude, hot temperature, and degraded visual environment flights and we will continue to accomplish test points demonstrating this aircraft’s unmatched capabilities.

CH-53K

The CH-53K King Stallion successfully completed an air-to-air refueling test with the help of a Lockheed Martin KC-130J aerial refueling tanker. In a flight lasting 4.5 hours over the Chesapeake Bay, the CH-53K repeatedly demonstrated its ability to capture and “plug” the drogue, withstanding turbulent air and the force on the refueling probe at increased closure rates.

CH-53K

Lockheed Martin delivered the first CH-53K training device to the U.S. Navy on April 14, 2020. The Containerized Flight Training Device (CFTD) is a full-mission flight simulator that will allow flight crews to train on the full scope of Marine Corps heavy lift missions, including external lift operations, and executing degraded visual environment take-offs and landings.

CH-53K

The CFTD replicates the functionality, flight characteristics, mission profiles and unmatched capabilities of the CH-53K helicopter.

CH-53K

With its external lift capabilities, and a wider cabin (30 cm/12 in), the CH-53K is the ideal choice for transporting more cargo or troops with fewer trips. The larger cabin is able to carry 463L pallets and High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) which offers flexible configurations for maximum mission effectiveness, and facilitates loading/unloading of cargo without reconfiguring and removing troop seating.