Sikorsky gets $55M toward helicopter deal

Funds will be used to purchase materials to begin production of the first of four CH-53K helicopters.

Sikorsky Aircraft has secured a $55 million contract from the Navy to begin buying the materials needed to begin production of the first of four CH-53K helicopters that the Stratford-based helicopter maker will produce for use by the Marine Corps.

Work on the four helicopters is expected to be completed by March 2022, the Department of Defense said in an announcement released Tuesday. The company previously said it will begin production of the new helicopter in 2019 and will deliver nearly 200 of the heavy duty helicopters by 2032.

The CH-53K is designed for moving troops and heavy lifting of equipment, including carrying artillery pieces and Humvee utility vehicles. Sikorsky began developing prototypes of the CH-53K in 2010, and as of last fall there were four of them being tested at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Tuesday’s announcement is significant because it signals the CH-53K’s transition from the design process to the production process, according to Richard Aboulafia, a vice president with the Teal Group, a Virginiabased aerospace analysis firm.

“While it was in still in the design process, things could be changed,” Aboulafia said. “A this point, everything about the helicopter’s design has been locked down and they are ready to begin purchasing the materials they need to build it.”

The start of production is significant for the state’s economy, as well. Gov. Dannel Malloy announced a deal with $220 million in incentives last September to keep Sikorsky in Connecticut through at least 2032. State lawmakers signed off on the deal a few weeks later.

The deal, reached with Sikorsky’s corporate parent Lockheed Martin, also calls for a hefty increase in what the helicopter maker spends with Connecticut suppliers as well as what it invests in machinery and equipment.

Tuesday’s announcement from the Department of Defense prompted Connecticut’s legislative delegation in Washington, D.C., to issue a joint statement.

“We are proud to have fought to bring this important work to Connecticut, as it will become the core of Sikorsky’s work here for the decade to come,” the statement said in part. “We will continue to fight for robust funding for the CH-53K program, keeping Sikorsky’s unparalleled workforce on the job and ensuring our war fighters receive the technology and capability they need and deserve.”