The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday awarded a $435 million contract to Stratford aerospace manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. for four demonstration helicopters, starting to replace the U.S. Marine Corps main troop transport off ships.
The four CH-53K demonstration helicopters will replace the Marines’ aging CH-53E Super Stallion medium-lift fleet of helicopters that serve as the Corps’ primary means of moving equipment and troops off of ships.
The work on the helicopters is expected to be complete in June 2017. Sikorsky received a $48 million payment on Friday for the contract.
Twenty percent of the work will be performed in Stratford and Windsor Locks, and the rest will be spread throughout the U.S., Canada, and England, although primarily in Wichita, Kan. and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sikorsky is a subsidiary of Hartford conglomerate United Technologies Corp.
