Re: CH 53 "Upgrade"
CH-53X gets a new moniker: CH-53K
Sikorsky, Marines outline new helicopter
Associated Press January 6th
Sikorsky will develop the U.S. Marine Corps' new heavy-lift helicopter over the next decade, bringing in nearly $19 billion for the company. Sikorsky is scheduled to deliver the first of 156 new CH-53K helicopters to the Marines beginning in 2015. It also will receive about $4.2 billion to revamp the Marines' CH-53E Super Stallion.
Col. Paul Coisetiere, Marine program manager, and Sikorsky program manager David Haines outlined the project at a news conference at the Pentagon Thursday.
The CH-53K will be a more durable, faster helicopter that can carry a significantly larger payload in adverse conditions, Haines said. The Marines are seeking a helicopter that can carry two armored Humvees or 27,000 lb of cargo 110 nm at an altitude of 3,000 ft in summer heat. That is more than five times the performance of the CH-53E. The helicopter also must fit inside military cargo aircraft and take up no more space on a ship than the current model.
The CH-53K will have improved rotors, engines, aviation electronics, transmission and gearbox. It also will be equipped with improved armor to protect crew and passengers. "If we had it today, it would be the perfect aircraft for combat operations in Afghanistan and relief operations in Pakistan," Coisetiere said.
I/C