Marine corps moves forward on King Stallion program.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

As major program milestones loom, the Marine Corps is working in earnest to develop and test the CH-53K King Stallion.

The heavy lift helicopter, which is being built by Sikorsky, will replace the service's fleet of aging CH-53E aircraft.

"Why is the Marine Corps buying the 53K? Very simple. Our gear has gotten a lot heavier," said Marine Corps Col. Henry Vanderborght, program manager for H-53 at Naval Air Systems Command in Pax River, Maryland.

When he started flying CH-53s, the Marine Corps was lifting Humvees that weighed 5,500 pounds. However, to counter the improvised explosive device threat that emerged during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military uparmored vehicles, more than doubling their weight. When the Marine Corps acquires the joint light tactical vehicle, loads will only grow heavier, he said.

"The vehicle of the future is the JLTV. It's even heavier. It's in the 16,000-pound range, depending on what configuration it's in, and that's why the Marine Corps is buying 53K because we have to be able to move that equipment from ship to shore," he said.

The program has been plagued with delays--mostly because of unrealistic requirements, one analyst said--but that is in the past and the government and Sikorsky are looking forward to reaching major milestones, said Mike Torok, the company's vice president of the CH-53K program.

"We're basically on track for a Milestone C decision on or about this time next year," he told reporters during an industry conference in May. "Once we achieve that Milestone C, that will be the big thumbs up to go to production and after that it's a footrace all the way to initial operating capability in 2019."

After Milestone C is reached, the Marine Corps will begin low-rate initial production of 26 aircraft. IOC for the program is defined as having four CH-53Ks ready for deployment, Vanderborght said.

The King Stallion has single, dual and triple external cargo hook capability, allowing the aircraft to transfer three loads to separate landing zones during a single sortie.

The aircraft will offer a marked increase in capability over its predecessor, as it will more than triple the payload to 27,000 pounds while traveling at 110 nautical miles under "high hot" ambient conditions, Vanderborght said.

"It's a significant... increase in capability for the Marine Corps," he said.

The King Stallion also includes a modern glass cockpit, fourth-generation rotor blades and upgraded engines.

The Marine Corps...