Mary-Louise Hoffman
Lockheed Martin‘s Sikorsky subsidiary will showcase its CH-53K King Stallion during a Berlin air show later this month as the manufacturer eyes future international buyers for the heavy-lift helicopter platform, USNI News reported Monday.
Col. Hank Vanderborght, CH-53K program manager at the U.S. Marine Corps, told the publication that Germany and Israel have expressed interest in the Sikorsky-built helicopter.
The program received Milestone C approval from the Defense Department last year and is scheduled to reach initial operational capability in December 2019.
Michael Torok, vice president of Marine Corps systems at Sikorsky, told USNI News the manufacturer looks to demonstrate King Stallion’s capacities to manage large payload and maneuver backward with minimal pilot control.
He added Sikorsky aims to promote the helicopter’s integrated health management system.
