Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion Heavy Lift Replacement (HLR)

[Hanse]

Even when the cost goes down, the CH-53K is likely to remain the most expensive helicopter in the world.

Hilarious. If not the CH-53K then which helicopter SHOULD be "the most expensive helicopter in the world"?

 

[fredymac]

The whole "sea-basing" idea also relies on effective heavy lift as an important element. I wish the Army and Marines could have gotten together during the vertical theater transport effort (quad tilt-rotor, speed agile, etc solutions) in order to pool the quantity buys but there seems to be institutional jealousy in who gets to be in the drivers seat for program control. I hope the Future Vertical Lift program is structured in a way that gets around this.

 

[_Del_]

When you could have two SSC's and an F-35B for the cost of a pair of Super Stallions, I think raising questions about costs and opportunity costs under budget constraints is pretty fair. Not hilarious. Just me.

 

[bring_it_on]

His top three ground priorities – the Amphibious Combat Vehicle to replace the AAVs, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to replace Humvees and the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) – are progressing well, he said. JLTV is in procurement, ACV is set to begin testing two competitors’ vehicles this spring, and USNI News understands the Marine Corps is getting ready to accept the first G/ATOR.

The Marines were recently handed the first LRIP AN/TPS-80 radar.

Marine Corps Receives new G/ATOR Radar System

The Marine Corps and Northrop Grumman hosted a rollout ceremony for the new G/ATOR radar system for the Corps March 29, 2017. Northrop Grumman will produce 45 of these new radar systems for the Marine Corps by 2024.

 

[yasotay]

The whole "sea-basing" idea also relies on effective heavy lift as an important element. I wish the Army and Marines could have gotten together during the vertical theater transport effort (quad tilt-rotor, speed agile, etc solutions) in order to pool the quantity buys but there seems to be institutional jealousy in who gets to be in the drivers seat for program control. I hope the Future Vertical Lift program is structured in a way that gets around this.

I do as well. Army bailed because cost projections put it at over $100M a copy for the aircraft.

 

[Hanse]

When you could have two SSC's and an F-35B for the cost of a pair of Super Stallions, I think raising questions about costs and opportunity costs under budget constraints is pretty fair. Not hilarious. Just me.

It IS hilarious. "Most expensive helicopter in the world." Okay, which helicopter should logically cost more than a CH-53K. Not more than what a CH-53K DOES cost but which helicopter in the world can you point to and say, "by all rights, that helicopter should cost more than a CH-53K"?

Also, consider the computer CPU in your car. You could get several tires for the price of that CPU (don't believe me, just wait until you have to buy a new one). Why not just tell the dealer you want them to keep the CPU and give you a few extra tires instead? Yes, that's how ridiculous this whole discussion is. You have to have all the pieces.

 

[Hanse]

The whole "sea-basing" idea also relies on effective heavy lift as an important element. I wish the Army and Marines could have gotten together during the vertical theater transport effort (quad tilt-rotor, speed agile, etc solutions) in order to pool the quantity buys but there seems to be institutional jealousy in who gets to be in the drivers seat for program control. I hope the Future Vertical Lift program is structured in a way that gets around this.

I do as well. Army bailed because cost projections put it at over $100M a copy for the aircraft.

Also, consider production rate at this time. They built 6, took a break for a couple years, built 4 more, are in the middle of another break. That costs money in more than just overhead.

 

[_Del_]

When you could have two SSC's and an F-35B for the cost of a pair of Super Stallions, I think raising questions about costs and opportunity costs under budget constraints is pretty fair. Not hilarious. Just me.

It IS hilarious. "Most expensive helicopter in the world." Okay, which helicopter should logically cost more than a CH-53K. Not more than what a CH-53K DOES cost but which helicopter in the world can you point to and say, "by all rights, that helicopter should cost more than a CH-53K"?

Also, consider the computer CPU in your car. You could get several tires for the price of that CPU (don't believe me, just wait until you have to buy a new one). Why not just tell the dealer you want them to keep the CPU and give you a few extra tires instead? Yes, that's how ridiculous this whole discussion is. You have to have all the pieces.

A far better metaphor might be that I need transportation, but I also need to rewire electrical and fix the plumbing on my house, make my mortgage payments, eat, and pay other bills on a fixed budget.
You're playing the part of the salesman trying to convince me I need the Bentley Bentayga, and of course it's expensive because it's the fastest SUV on the market.
The question isn't should the CH-53K be that expensive. The question is do I need Bentayga at the opportunity cost of not replumbing, or missing a mortgage payment, or eating, etc.
An M3 might be great value. Worth every penny. But that is a different discussion from "Can I afford that car payment with this budget? Can I make do with less on this budget when I have other pressing needs?"

Is the Marine Corps better served with 50 Kings or 60 MV-22's and enough extra money for 10 F-35's? Or however you want to parse the opportunity costs. I think those are extremely relevant questions for every project for all branches of service.

The argument is not, "We should make a helicopter with the same characteristics and performance as a King Stallion for less money". A couple people did say, "Do we really need a helicopter with that performance if it costs that much?" If your answer is "Of course it is expensive. It is a high performance helicopter. How much do you think it should cost", you are answering questions we're not asking.

[Quote author=Triton]So the real question is, is there $126.677 million in value to the United States Marines for each CH-53K King Stallion?
[/quote]

I'm not sure why it's hilarious or why LM is a martyr in this scenario :

 

[marauder2048]

The whole "sea-basing" idea also relies on effective heavy lift as an important element. I wish the Army and Marines could have gotten together during the vertical theater transport effort (quad tilt-rotor, speed agile, etc solutions) in order to pool the quantity buys but there seems to be institutional jealousy in who gets to be in the drivers seat for program control. I hope the Future Vertical Lift program is structured in a way that gets around this.

I do as well. Army bailed because cost projections put it at over $100M a copy for the aircraft.

It's the $100M Heavy Lift helicopter coming off a hot production line that's superior to anything the Army has
or will have for at least the next decade when the first FVL test A/C is scheduled to arrive.

The Army hasn't helped its case by being a bit vague about the total cost of the CH-47 Block II program.

 

[fredymac]

By using the initial LRIP price as an argument, the cost issue is inflated by almost half. With a little imagination you could project lifetime program costs out 100 years and have yourself a $Trillion dollar helicopter.

On the question of priority and requirements, the Marines and Navy have been pursuing sea-basing as the future architecture for projecting power without establishing a logistics footprint on someone else's land with all the attendant political headaches that incurs. You can debate whether that is desirable but it seems to be where they are going. The CH-53K will be highly applicable to this concept as well as providing heavy equipment lifting capability that no number of smaller helicopters will be able to provide.

I remember the Army's corresponding plan was the Future Theater Vertical Lift concept which entailed a C-130 level capability for transporting medium weight units. This also gave the ability to project power over very long ranges without intermediate logistics as well as to implement division level vertical maneuverability into the enemy's rear with sufficient firepower to overwhelm local defenses. This program ran into institutional resistance from the Air Force which viewed it as an intrusion into their mission area. The Air Force response was the "Speed Agile" transport which sought to provide near vertical lift capability in a fixed wing (ie, Air Force controlled) aircraft. All of this historical context is probably posted in various threads.

 

[Hanse]

The CH-53K will be highly applicable to this concept as well as providing heavy equipment lifting capability that no number of smaller helicopters will be able to provide.

And let's not forget all the Lessons Learned with their operation in a Hot/High environment in Afghanistan. All that power isn't for total load lifting, like an Mi-26, (the K's transmission isn't even designed to handle all 22,500hp), it so in hot/high conditions there is still a lot of power available. And comparing the K's cost to an E is just plain stupid. Aside from the name, footprint, and general configuration, they aren't remotely similar. In both construction and performance, the K is in a completely different league from the E.

 

[bring_it_on]

Marine Corps disputes CH-53K cost assertions

The Marine Corps is disputing recent assertions that the CH-53K chopper is more expensive than an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, as the heavy-lift helicopter program awaits an initial production decision from Pentagon leadership.

During a Monday briefing at the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space conference, Col. Hank Vanderborght sought to clarify the cost of the CH-53K aircraft. The issue stems from a March 10 House Armed Services Committee hearing, during which Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA) said a new estimate puts the cost of the CH-53K helicopter at $122 million apiece, or 22 percent more than the original baseline. She compared it to the F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing jet, which cost $94.6 million per copy in the Lot 10 buy.

But Vanderborght said outside cost estimates were not accurate, adding that the initial aircraft produced under any aircraft program will naturally be priced higher because of the costs associated with non-recurring engineering and establishing the production line.

He said measuring the first aircraft produced in one program against the 100th produced under another is "comparing apples and oranges." The CH-53K is still under development, with just four test aircraft delivered so far, while the F-35 program had produced nearly 200 aircraft as of December.

"The first unit in a production run costs more than the last unit," Vanderborght said. "It's economies of scale. There are things called learning curves, rate curves and things like that that we use to calculate cost."

The Marine Corps expects the CH-53K’s flyaway unit cost will average $87.1 million in FY-17 dollars over the life of the 200-aircraft program, according to Vanderborght. The flyaway unit cost represents the true price of each aircraft, he said, although it does not account for ancillary program costs such as development or sustainment.

As of August 2016, the CH-53K program acquisition unit cost -- or the average unit price when taking the full cost of the program into account -- is $131.3 million in FY-17 dollars, according to the Government Accountability Office’s March 2017 "Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs" report. Vanderborght said he agrees with that figure.

GAO’s report says the total CH-53K program cost has risen to $26.2 billion in FY-17 dollars -- $6.9 billion in research and development and $19.2 billion planned for procurement. When the program started in 2005, the total program cost was expected to be $17.9 billion in FY-17 dollars, according to GAO.


Initial operational capability is planned for the first quarter of FY-20, with a full-rate production decision expected in FY-21, according to Vanderborght. He said the program has flown more than 400 test flight hours.

The Pentagon's acquisition chief was scheduled to chair a March 30 Defense Acquisition Board meeting on whether to advance the CH-53K program from development into low-rate initial production, Bloomberg reported last week. The defense secretary's office did not respond to requests for comment on the outcome of the meeting.

Vanderborght said the program was ready to move into LRIP. But he confirmed initial production would be delayed under a full-year continuing resolution, unless the CH-53K program receives a waiver from Congress. The ongoing CR runs through the end of April. The Navy requested $436 million in FY-16 to buy two CH-53Ks as part of the first lot of low-rate initial production, according to budget justification documents.

Shifting facilities

The GAO report also describes the challenges the CH-53K program faces in standing up a production line, as the facilities are being moved from Florida to Connecticut because of Lockheed Martin’s November 2015 purchase of CH-53K prime contractor Sikorsky from United Technologies, according to the auditors.

"The move will require a number of equipment and configuration changes to Sikorsky's Stratford[, CT], facility, which will take time to complete and pose risk to the CH-53K production schedule," according to the report. "Program officials continue to assess the potential impacts of the production relocation."

The CH-53K program office, however, said the move to Connecticut "was driven by required capacity and not the Lockheed Martin acquisition."

The fifth system demonstration test article will be the first CH-53K assembled at Sikorsky's Stratford facility early next year, according to Michael Torok, Lockheed's vice president of CH-53K programs.

During the Monday briefing, Torok said the Stratford facility -- which has mostly produced Army Black Hawks and Navy Seahawks over the past decade -- is being modified to accommodate final assembly of the larger CH-53K.

 

[Airplane]

The Ch-53k is just as needed by the USMC as is the 35B. There is so much oversight into these programs that its nearly impossible for a supplier to take advantage of the DoD and overcharge. The price is what the price is based on the specs and how many are built. I hope to see hundreds of them roll off the line. The 53 is my favorite rotary winged aircraft for many reasons.

 

[marauder2048]

CH-53K helicopter approved to enter production

April 04, 2017 |
Justin Doubleday


Pentagon leadership has approved the Marine Corps' developmental CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter to enter production, according to a spokesman.

On April 4, James MacStravic, who is the acting under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, gave the go-ahead for the
$26.2 billion, 200-aircraft program to begin low-rate initial production, according to Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Patrick Evans.

"From the review, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the USD(AT&L) determined that the program is ready for the Production and Deployment phase,"
Evans wrote in an email.

The CH-53K helicopter's prime contractor is Sikorsky, now owned by Lockheed Martin. The CH-53K has been developed to carry three times the maximum load of
a legacy CH-53E heavy-lift helicopter. The Navy requested $436 million in fiscal year 2017 to buy two CH-53Ks as part of the first lot of low-rate initial production,
according to budget justification documents. But the program will not be allowed to begin initial production under a continuing resolution. The current CR runs through April 28.

Lately, the cost of the CH-53K has been a contentious point. During an April 3 briefing at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, MD, Col. Hank Vanderborght
disputed recent statements comparing the cost of the CH-53K to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Vanderborght, H-53 program manager, said the average cost of a CH-53K chopper would be $87.1 million over the course of the program. But he conceded the average
unit price when taking total program costs, including research and development, into account is $131.3 million in FY-17 dollars, as cited in the Government Accountability Office's
March 2017 "Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs" report

https://insidedefense.com/insider/ch-53k-helicopter-approved-enter-production%C2%A0

 

[Hanse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwjlvkYhFuo

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/182617/ch_53k-program-cleared-for-low_rate-initial-production.html

 

[Triton]

"CH-53K King Stallion Flight Testing Begins Transition to Patuxent River NAS"

Published on Jul 5, 2017

The CH-53K King Stallion Program has successfully completed its first extended “cross country” flight from Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach facility to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD on June 29, 2017. This is the first of several such flights that will occur during 2017 & 2018 as the King Stallion flight test program transitions to the flight test facilities at Patuxent River. Learn More: http://lmt.co/2tRiQ3U

View: https://youtu.be/EeCFbAULpFo

 

[marauder2048]

German Aerospace Companies Visit Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach Facility

Sikorsky is actively pursuing German companies to support the CH-53K in Germany at all stages of its life cycle
Sikorsky hosted a German industrialization conference in West Palm Beach, Florida with leading German Aerospace companies
.

BUCKEBURG, Germany, July 5, 2017 – Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) company, hosted leading German Aerospace companies with
engineering, manufacturing and maintenance, repair, overhaul expertise attended the two day event to discuss the new Marine CH-53K King Stallion
helicopter and the German Air Force “Schwerer Transporthubschrauber” (STH) Program. The event took place at Sikorsky's West Palm Beach,
Florida facility.

“It is Sikorsky's intent to be heavily involved as the original equipment manufacturer, but to have German suppliers accomplish the majority of the
work when it comes to platform sustainment,” said Nathalie Previte, vice president of Sikorsky’s strategy and business development.
“We have several suppliers with whom we are finalizing exclusive relationships and who will form the foundation for the Sikorsky STH team in Germany.”

The participants were briefed on the CH-53K aircraft, the program and met the Sikorsky leadership team. The agenda included a program overview,
an update on the STH program, the industrialization opportunities on the CH-53K and a tour of the factory and the 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.

With the legacy fleet of the CH-53G we have a long lasting strong relationship with the Bundeswehr, which we plan to strengthen with the CH-53K.
The CH-53K will enable the German Armed Forces to conduct real heavy lift operations.
Intelligent, reliable, low maintenance and survivable, the CH-53K is the future of German Heavy Lift.

 

[marauder2048]

And related to the above:

'No free passes' for German firms in helicopter tender: German ministry

By Andrea Shalal | BUECKEBURG, Germany

The German defense ministry on Thursday said there would be no "free passes" for any bidders in a nearly 4-billion-euro
helicopter deal, a day after Europe's Airbus urged the government to ensure German firms got a big share of the pie.

German defense officials have said they want a low-risk heavy-lift helicopter that already exists, which means the likely supplier
will be one of two U.S. firms - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) with its CH-53K, or Boeing Co (BA.N) with its CH-47 Chinook.

Airbus on Wednesday said choosing German firms to manage and service the new helicopters would secure German jobs,
speed certification and ensure German sovereignty. Any other decision would harm the German helicopter industry, it said.

A spokesman for the ministry said Germany had no “buy German” requirement for helicopters, only key technologies such as encryption.

"Competition is a very important factor in this case," he said. "There won't be any free passes for anyone."

Airbus, MTU Aero Engines and six other firms on Wednesday announced at a helicopter conference in northern Germany that they
had signed a partnership agreement to push for a big German role in managing the new helicopter.

Airbus, which currently services nearly all German military aircraft, and the other companies, urged Berlin to award separate contracts
for buying and servicing the helicopters.


The defense ministry said it would decide this summer how to structure the deal and a "request for proposals" would likely go
out to industry next year. But it said its general preference would be to deal with one lead contractor.

A second source said the decision was expected this month, but it could become a political football ahead of the Sept. 24
national election, given the jobs at stake.

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky helicopter unit said it was finalizing "exclusive relationships" with several German companies, but did not name them.

Nathalie Previte, vice president of strategy and business development for Sikorsky, said the company's goal was to sign agreements with
German firms that would be "strategic partners in the areas of sustainment and aircraft content."

Boeing already has close ties to over 100 companies in Germany as part of its global commercial and military supply chain, and those could grow if
Boeing wins the competition, David Koopersmith, who heads Boeing's vertical lift programs, told Reuters at the conference.

Boeing last month awarded German firm COTESA GmbH a five-year contract to manufacture key components for the Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.

Melanie Wolf, a spokeswoman for MTU, said her company wanted to support the German aerospace industry.

"We want to maintain technology competencies in Germany, but for that we need German industry and orders for that industry," Wolf said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

 

[Triton]

From Military Technology on Twitter.

Source:
https://twitter.com/MILTECH1/status/882568484751847424

 

[Hanse]

That's a really old model.

 

[Triton]

Sikorsky CH-53K model on display at the International Helicopter Forum in Bückeburg 2017. Sergei Sikorsky was in attendance.

Source:
https://www.dewezet.de/region/weserbergland_artikel,-stelldichein-der-helikopterexperten-_arid,2384691.html
http://www.flugrevue.de/militaerluftfahrt/kampfflugzeuge-helikopter/hubschrauberforum-bueckeburg-2017/728650?skip=4#4

 

[Hanse]

Sikorsky CH-53K model on display at the International Helicopter Forum in Bückeburg 2017. Sergei Sikorsky was in attendance.

Source:
https://www.dewezet.de/region/weserbergland_artikel,-stelldichein-der-helikopterexperten-_arid,2384691.html
http://www.flugrevue.de/militaerluftfahrt/kampfflugzeuge-helikopter/hubschrauberforum-bueckeburg-2017/728650?skip=4#4

It might be displayed today but it's still an old model. Look at the trailing edge of the sponsons and then go look at the real one. That changed before even the first one was built.

 

[Triton]

It might be displayed today but it's still an old model. Look at the trailing edge of the sponsons and then go look at the real one. That changed before even the first one was built.

Well spotted.

 

[Colonial-Marine]

Any chance we could see a new MH-53 in the future based off the CH-53K? It seems a shame to me that they retired the Pave Low.

 

[yasotay]

Any chance we could see a new MH-53 in the future based off the CH-53K? It seems a shame to me that they retired the Pave Low.

Given that the exceedingly expensive CV-22B may be even cheaper that a "M"H-53K, I doubt that even the Operators would want to drop ~100 knots that would increase the mission time in enemy territory. I suspect that the MC-130 aircrew who do the air refuel would also prefer not to hang out at just above stall speed in enemy territory either. Between CV-22B and CH-47GI think the Operators are in a good place at the moment.

 

[marauder2048]

Could the Boeing Chinook Accommodate the CH-53K’s GE Engine?

The “proof of concept” test, which Boeing is pursuing under a cooperative research and development agreement
with General Electric and the U.S. Army, would use the new T-408 engine — same engine GE is building for the
Marine Corps’ new Sikorsky CH-53K King — according to Chuck Dabundo, Boeing VP of cargo helicopter
programs. Army Chinooks are currently powered by the Honeywell T-55.

http://www.rotorandwing.com/2017/10/10/boeing-chinook-accommodate-ch-53ks-ge-engine/

 

[bring_it_on]

...

 

[marauder2048]

Lockheed's CH-53K helicopter to make global debut at Berlin air show: sources

Andrea Shalal

BERLIN (Reuters) - The U.S. military has approved Lockheed Martin Corp’s
new CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter to fly at the Berlin air show
next April, according to two sources familiar with the program.

It will mark the CH-53K’s international debut at time when a German
helicopter competition could start heating up again, said the sources,
who were not authorized to speak publicly.


The German defense ministry is nearing the kickoff of a competition
valued at nearly 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) between two U.S.
helicopters - Lockheed’s massive Sikorsky CH-53K and the smaller
Boeing Co (BA.N) CH-47 twin-rotor helicopter - to replace its existing
fleet of CH-53G aircraft.

A formal decision on how to structure the competition has stalled as
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives try to forge a ruling coalition
with the pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens, an endeavor
that could take until the end of the year.

Military sources expect the program to proceed only after a new
government is in place, but say it could be delayed further if the current
defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, is replaced. Any successor
would want to review major weapons programs like the heavy-lift helicopter.

Europe’s Airbus is also challenging the ministry’s plans,
arguing that German firms should get a big share of the maintenance
and management of the project.

The ministry has pushed back, saying it would be too unwieldy to award
separate contracts for production and sustainment of the planes.

A top general with the Israeli Air Force, which is also considering buying
the new helicopters, flew the aircraft during a 90-minute orientation
flight at a Maryland air base on Nov. 7, a Navy spokesman said on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Nir Nin-Nun, commander of the Israeli Air Force’s air
support and helicopter division, was the first international ally to fly the
new helicopter, the Navy said.

“Flights like this give us an opportunity to strengthen relationships with
our allies while sharing a taste of America’s next-generation heavy lift
helicopter,” said CH-53K program manager U.S. Marine Corps Colonel
Hank Vanderborght.

Israel is considering buying 20 of the helicopters,
while Germany could buy around 40 aircraft.

Bringing the CH-53K helicopter to Berlin will allow military officials to
compare the two aircraft on site. The Navy supports Sikorsky’s effort to
bring an aircraft to the Berlin air show, a spokesman said.

Two Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters came to a conference
in Germany in July, but the Lockheed aircraft, just entering production for
the U.S. Marine Corps, was not on site.

Eight other NATO countries already use the CH-47, while Germany
currently flies the CH-53G, an older version of the CH-53K that
Lockheed will offer.

Some German military officials favor the CH-47 which they say is
combat-proven and cheaper, but others say the larger CH-53K
would allow growth in future missions.

The U.S. Marine Corps expects to declare the CH-53K ready for combat
use in 2019. The Marines have said the average cost of the huge aircraft
will be around $88 million per aircraft. The cost could drop somewhat if
Germany, Israel and Japan also buy the planes.

Germany is hoping to start buying planes in 2023, about a year
before that average cost will be achieved.

Experts say it would cost less for Germany to buy the Chinook, but that
helicopter will require several upgrades in coming years that could add
cost. It also carries less, so it takes more flights to accomplish the same
mission.

Beth Parcella, in charge of Lockheed’s drive to win the German contract
for the CH-53K, told Reuters she thought the helicopter still had good
chances in the German competition.

“The price differential is not going to be anywhere as significant as it’s
being portrayed,” she said. “It’s a larger, heavier aircraft, so it’s going to
cost more. But it’s going to be a lot closer than people think.”

She said the new aircraft would also cost far less to service given its on-board diagnostic system.

Thought it was cyber-vandalism but Brigadier General Nir Nin-Nun is apparently a real person.

 

[yasotay]

$88M per if you don't include avionics... a decked out MH-47 (not a CH-47) is still less than the base 53K I think. Seems a lot for an extra 2K of payload. I could be wring here.

 

[Triton]

"Israeli Air Force Takes CH-53K Ride After US Congress Urges Sale"
by S.L. Fuller | November 17, 2017

Source:
http://www.rotorandwing.com/2017/11/17/israeli-air-force-takes-ch-53k-ride-us-congress-urges-sale/

Sikorsky’s CH-53K King Stallion flew a 90-minute orientation test flight — a “first of its kind,” according to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair). The flight was hosted at Navair's Patuxent River, Maryland, facility for Brig. Gen. Nir Nin-Nun, commander of air support and helicopter division for the Israeli Air Force. It occurred during a scheduled test flight.

Navair said yesterday that Nov. 7, the aircraft performed various operational maneuvers, landings and takeoffs. Nin-Nun was able to get a firsthand look at the CH-53K’s full authority fly-by-wire flight controls. He also completed a familiarization flight in the simulator and safety brief before his ride, Navair said. The flight was arranged based on a government-to-government request from Nin-Nun and made possible through a contract modification between Sikorsky and Navair.

“This is the first time we have flown an international ally in the CH-53K,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Hank Vanderborght, program manager for the H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters program office, PMA-261. “Flights like this give us an opportunity to strengthen relationships with our allies while sharing a taste of America’s next generation heavy lift helicopter.”

In April, multiple U.S. senators and representatives targeted Israel to solicit a CH-53K deal. While cost was not explicitly named a motivator for the members of Congress, successful procurement could bring down the price. PMA-261 works with international partners through the Foreign Military Sales program to potentially meet the international partners’ heavy lift helicopter requirements, Navair said. The more helicopters the government sells to international buyers, the more unit cost is decreased for all users. Navair told R&WI in March that the cost per unit is some $87 million at production, not including other costs. The program has come under scrutiny for its high price tag.

There are four engineering development and manufacturing King Stallion models in test, and one ground test vehicle. Together, they have logged more than 606 flight hours, according to Navair. The program is still on track to reach initial operational capability in 2019, which would have four aircraft with combat-ready crews logistically prepared to deploy. Navair said the U.S. Department of Defense’s program of record still calls for 200 aircraft.

 

[marauder2048]

http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=6734

Prior to using the JLTV, the program tested various external payloads on
the CH-53K using representative concrete slabs, up to 27,000 pounds. This
year, the test team will expand that external weight envelope up to 36,000 pounds.

 

[Triton]

CH-53K King Stallion: Taking Care of the K

Published on Feb 5, 2018

We know quick care on the ground equals more time in the sky. That's why the CH-53K aircraft is designed to be intelligent, reliable, low maintenance and survivable in the most austere and remote forward operating bases in the world.


https://youtu.be/5ov10JbXIL4

 

[robunos]

Could we change the topic's title to "Sikorsky CH-53K KING Stallion Heavy Lift Replacement (HLR)" please?


cheers,
Robin.

 

[Hanse]

That name, "King Stallion", don't tell me you didn't giggle the first time you heard it.

 

[marauder2048]

That name, "King Stallion", don't tell me you didn't giggle the first time you heard it.

Aviation pornography deserves a pornstar name.

 

[marauder2048]

Some of the imagery of Chinook shipboard integration tests aboard HMS QE
got me searching for images of the CH-53K in folded form. Are there any?

 

[cluttonfred]

Here you go.

 

[marauder2048]

I think that's the "Echo" model.

 

[TomS]

It is. I can't find a folded pic of the King Stallion anywhere. I mean, they must have folded the beast by this point in testing.

I did find one rendering.

 

[marauder2048]

It is. I can't find a folded pic of the King Stallion anywhere. Not even a drawing, which is surprising. I mean, they must have folded the beast by this point in testing.

That's all I was able to find as well.