Marine Corps official floats modular mission payloads for new heavy lift helo
“How can we make this kind of truck … be more than just a truck?” said Col. Kate Fleeger, the Marines' CH-53K program manager.
“How can we make this kind of truck … be more than just a truck?” said Col. Kate Fleeger, the Marines' CH-53K program manager.
If approved by US regulators, the agreement would reunite Boeing with the Wichita-based production facilities it spun off in 2005 in a bid to lower costs.
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
The Germany Ministry of Defense has selected Boeing's CH-47F Chinook over Lockheed Martin Sikorsky's CH-53K.
In plant tour, Sikorsky official says "hundreds" of parts could be 3D printed if chosen for Army's high-profile FARA and FLRAA competitions.
The first choppers are expected by 2025, but the addition of Israeli high-tech systems could delay delivery, sources said.
The deal includes 12 King Stallions with options for an additional six in the future.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Israel plans to install domestically made systems on the American-made helo.
The CH-53K has had a rough two years filled with testing issues and schedule delays, but it executed a real mission in September.
To illustrate the urgency, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Aviv Kochavi flew last week in an old CH-53 (Yasur) in a scenario of long-range flights that moved a team of special commandos deep into "enemy" territory to demonstrate the rescue of a downed pilot.
The political chaos in Israel, with a third general election in less than a year has delayed decisions about crucial aircraft, including the replacement for the old CH-53, whether to buy the V-22 and the urgent need for the KC-46A .
An IDF team has been taking test flights aboard Lockheed Martin's new CH-53K in Maryland, but Boeing's CH-47 Chinook is in the running too -- and both programs could use a boost against their American critics.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ground forces command want an immediate replacement for the CH-53 . "It is natural that operational needs differ, but this is the task of the highest command to evaluate the needs and make a decision," a senior Israeli defense official said.