Sikorsky has begun final assembly of the first CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter for the IAF, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary announced on Thursday.
The cockpit and cabin sections of the helicopter were recently joined at the company’s facility in Connecticut. The aircraft is the first of 12 ordered by the Defense Ministry in a $2 billion deal signed in 2023. Delivery of the first two helicopters is scheduled for 2028.
The CH-53K, which will be known in Israel as the Pere, is intended to replace the aging CH-53D Yas'ur fleet. It offers significantly enhanced performance, including the ability to carry three times the payload, higher cruising speeds, increased combat survivability, and reduced maintenance demands.
After production, each helicopter will be sent to a dedicated integration line in the United States, where Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems will install navigation, communications, and electronic warfare systems under a separate agreement valued at several hundred million dollars. These additions raise the total cost of each helicopter to more than $200 million, making it one of the most expensive aircraft ever procured by the Israeli IAF.
While the integration work will slightly delay the helicopters’ arrival in Israel, it is expected to shorten the time required to bring them into operational use.
Although the IAF initially planned to purchase 18 helicopters, only 12 were funded under the current budget. Six additional units are likely to be ordered in the coming years, with the total number potentially rising as the military reviews force structure in light of operational experience from recent conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
The full delivery of the 12 helicopters is expected by 2030. Until then, the IAF will continue operating the Yas'ur fleet, which will be nearly 60 years old by the end of the decade. The aircraft have undergone two major upgrades and life-extension programs.
Israel only foreign country to use the CH-53k helicopter
Israel is currently the only foreign customer for the CH-53K, which was developed primarily for the United States Marine Corps. Germany and Japan had also considered the platform, but Germany ultimately selected Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook.
“The Israeli IAF will receive the CH-53K, which brings with it unprecedented capabilities, precisely tailored to its operational needs,” said Dana Piattone, vice president for Marine Corps programs at Sikorsky. “This is the standard for future operators, who will be able to easily add a variety of digital applications and technologies for missions such as supply runs, troop transport, heavy lift, and more.”