25 August 2023
by Gareth Jennings
An artist’s impression of the CH-53K in Israeli service. The IDF is to receive 12 helicopters, which it will use for heavy lift, long-range personnel recovery, and special mission insertion/exfiltration duties. (Lockheed Martin)
The US Navy (USN) has contracted Lockheed Martin to build a further eight CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for Israel, the company announced on 24 August.
The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement was part of a wider USD2.7 billion contract for the manufacture of 35 Lot 7 and Lot 8 helicopters to be delivered from 2026 and brings the number now under contract for Israel to 12.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is to field a bespoke ‘exportable variant’ of the CH-53K, featuring newly developed country-specific systems and sensors. Israel selected the CH-53K as its replacement for the Sikorsky CH-53D Yasur, opting for the platform over the Boeing CH-47F Chinook and Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.
Get the full article by
subscribing to Janes
Already a Janes subscriber?
Keep reading