U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461 taxi in a CH-53K King Stallion after its first operational flight at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, April 13. U.S. MARINE CORPS / Lance Cpl. Elias E. Pimentel III

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has placed an order for two more CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for the Marine Corps.

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded a $185.7 million contract modification to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin company, to add two CH-53Ks to low-rate production Lot 6, the Defense Department said May 31.

These two helicopters were in the Marine Corps’ fiscal 2022 unfunded priorities list and were added to the 2022 budget appropriation by Congress. Lot 6 originally included nine CH-53Ks under a Feb. 3 contract award for $685 million.  

The King Stallion achieved Initial Operational Capability in April 2022 when Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 received its fourth CH-53K.

The Marine Corps program of record is 200 CH-53Ks to replace the fleet of CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters. The Lot 6 helicopters are expected to be completed by December 2025.

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