The Defense Ministry has signed a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, to customize 12 new CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters with unique systems tailored for the Israel Air Force, the ministry said.
The agreement was finalized by the Defense Ministry’s mission to the US in New York.
The helicopters will be built at Sikorsky’s headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut, under a Foreign Military Sales contract signed between the Defense Ministry and the US government several years ago.
The CH-53Ks are set to replace the IAF’s aging Yasur helicopters, a modification of an earlier CH-53 variant that has served as the IAF’s primary transport platform for troops and equipment.
As part of the agreement, the ministry added that Sikorsky would establish a dedicated production line to adapt each helicopter from the standard US Marine Corps version to meet the IAF’s operational requirements.
The customization will include advanced avionics, navigation systems, and electronic warfare suites supplied by the Defense Ministry.
Agreement signed with US government
In 2021, the Defense Ministry signed an agreement with the US government to acquire 12 CH-53K helicopters and two additional Boeing KC-46 refueling aircraft.
In February 2022, Lockheed-Martin said the first four of 12 aircraft had begun production, with the first expected to arrive in Israel in 2026.
Sikorsky president Paul Lemmo said, “We are building on decades of experience and partnership in supporting the CH-53E for the Marine Corps and the CH-53D for the IAF,” The Jerusalem Post previously quoted.