Spirit AeroSystems has won a seven-year contract worth over $150m from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation to supply major structural components for the US Marine Corps’ CH-53K heavy lift helicopter.
Under the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the contract, Spirit will design, produce and join the helicopter’s composite cockpit and cabin.
The CH-53K is being developed to meet the future requirements for the marine corps heavy lift capabilities, currently carried out by a fleet of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters.
Sikorsky announced that the SDD contract could lead to the production of 156 CH-53K aircraft to replace roughly an equal number of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters.
Spirit will begin work on the SDD phase of the program in 2007. Under the contract, Spirit will design and produce seven test articles, four of which will undergo flight-testing. The cockpit and cabin work will be performed at Spirit’s Wichita, Kansas facility.
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