Israel Selects Sikorsky’s CH-53K Over Boeing’s CH-47 For Future Heavy-Lift Platform

摘要

Sikorsky’s [LMT] CH-53K King Stallion has been selected as Israel’s future heavy-lift helicopter, beating out Boeing’s [BA] CH-47 Chinook offering. The CH-53K will replace Israel’s fleet of Yassur heavy-lift aircraft, in service since the 1960s, with officials planning to approve a procurement request as soon as possible. “The decision to purchase new heavy lift helicopters for the [Israeli Air Force], after decades, is a significant step in progressing the IDF’s force build-up. It is also essential to the IDF’s ability to carry out a wide range of operational activities. The new helicopter is adapted to the [IAF’s] operational requirements and to the challenges of the changing battlefield,” Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister, said in a statement following the announcement on Feb. 25.