$118M to Help Maintain USA’s H-53 Helicopter Fleets

CH-53E with Humvee(click to view full) The Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, CT received an $118.9 million firm-fixed-price requirements contract modification, to provide spare parts and support for components of the H-53 helicopter. Work will be performed in Stratford, CT, and is expected to be complete by September 2015. Sikorsky is the H-53’s manufacturer, and this contract was not competitively awarded by the Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-06-D-003F). CH-53E in Pakistan, 2010(click to view full) There are actually several H-53 heavy transport helicopter variants in service with the US Navy and Marines: twin-engine CH-53D Sea Stallions, 3-engine CH-53E Super Stallions, and sled-towing MH-53E Sea Dragons in the mine countermeasures role. The USAF’s “Pave Low” combat rescue variant was retired in 2007. Heavy use and delayed replacement has left the US military short on H-53 airframes, and unexplained delays to the CH-53K program will make it even more imperative for the existing fleet of aging helicopters to be kept in flyable condition.