Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion is a heavy lifting cargo helicopter first introduced in April of 2022. This came a full seven years after the aircraft’s first flight which made it one of the largest and most expensive military helicopters of all time.
The US Marine Corps expects to receive 200 helicopters at a total cost of $25 billion. Ground test vehicle (GTV) testing began in April 2014, and flight testing commenced on October 27, 2015, with the first flight. The first CH-53K was delivered to the Marine Corps in May of 2018. It was announced to have achieved first operational capability on April 22, 2022. Other possible export consumers include Japan and Germany.
Each of the 18 helicopters ordered by the U.S military will cost around 138 million owing to the aircraft’s incredible size and capabilities as well as the ballooning costs during development. Indeed the CH-53K costs more than three times as much as its predecessor the CH-53E.
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