Amid concerns that the Israeli Air Force could be left without an operational fleet of heavy-lift transport helicopters for over a year, Israeli officials were attempting to expedite the delivery of Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin's next-generation CH-53K King Stallions (known in the IDF as the "Super Yasur") to Israel. As of now, the company says the first King Stallions won't arrive in Israel before 2026, while the existing Yasur fleet is expected to be decommissioned in 2025.
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Four King Stallions have thus far been approved for manufacture and delivery to Israel, which has ordered 18 of the helicopters at a reported cost of $3.4 billion. After arriving in Israel, the IAF will test and fit the CH-53K to meet its own operational specifications – a process that normally lasts several months.
The outmoded Yasur fleet first arrived in Israel in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The IAF has repeatedly managed to extend its service life but has warned along the way that the fleet was aging and that decision-makers needed to hasten their selection of a new model.
Last February, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced the decision to choose the King Stallion over Boeing's CH-47F Chinook.
The IAF wants to expedite the delivery of the Super Yasurs, but following conversations with senior Lockheed Martin officials in recent days, it appears this won't be possible. As of today, Israel has only signed an agreement in principle to purchase the "Green" version of the King Stallion, or in other words, the American version. Israel has yet to sign a document detailing the changes the IAF wants to implement to the helicopter to fit it for Israeli systems. Israeli defense officials want to sign this "Blue" (Israeli) version of the deal as soon as possible and are applying pressure in an effort to shorten the timetable for delivery.
"Israeli systems will be installed in the helicopter. This is a long process, which isn't simple monetarily or in terms of integration. But in the end, similar to the Hercules before it, it will become an Israeli helicopter for all intents and purposes," Brig. Gen. (res.) Joshua Shani, CEO of Lockheed Martin Israel, told reporters in Berlin.
"There is nothing in the world that approaches the level of this helicopter. It is the only helicopter that meets the [IAF's] needs. It stands alone," Shani added. "The IAF will receive it in 2025 as a "green" helicopter, and it will belong to the air force. It still won't land in Israel; rather it will land only a year later and will then undergo a process of integration. It won't be operational within the next five years."
The CH-53K will enable the IDF to move troops and equipment from ship to shore and to higher altitude terrain more quickly and effectively than ever before.
It is a heavy-lift cargo helicopter that is able to fly 20 knots (23 mph) faster than its CH-53E predecessor. It can carry a payload of 27,000 pounds (12,200 kilograms) over the same radius of 110 nautical miles (204 km). It also features new composite rotor blades and a wider aircraft cabin than previous CH-53 variants. It stands to be the largest and heaviest helicopter used by the US military, which has contracted 200 helicopters at a total cost of $25 billion. Its estimated life span can reach 50 years.
In July of last year, Israel Hayom was granted an exclusive look at the new-generation helicopter.
"The CH-53K is a helicopter that flies at very fast speeds, with a lift capacity that is double that of the old Yasur [the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion]. It carries sophisticated autonomous systems and can fly great distances and penetrate [enemy territory] and land without being identified," Shani told Israel Hayom at the time.
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