All the work to build the CH-53K and its BARELY able to lift more than a new CH-53E?

Thanks to Robert for the link!

via Flight Global.

The US Marine Corps ideally wants its new Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion to carry 13.6t (30,000lb) externally over 110nm (204km) unrefueled, but early analysis indicates that it will fall approximately 907kg short of that “objective” key performance requirement.

The minimum target is 12.2t (27,000lb) over 110nm in high, hot environments, which US Naval Air Systems Command officials expect the in-development aircraft to comfortably achieve. However, CH-53K integrated product team deputy Col John Neville says it is too early to tell exactly what external load target the CH-53K will meet or what programmatic steps the NAVAIR might take to bump up the aircraft’s performance to the objective requirement.

“From an acquisition and requirements standpoint, that’s the trade space,” Neville said during a teleconference briefing at the 72nd annual American Helicopter Society (AHS) International meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida on 19 May. “The engines are extremely powerful, but one of the things we do know is right now we’re probably somewhere in-between those two values [of 27,000lb and 30,000lb].

Story here. 

Everyone thinks I bang on the Wing for no good reason.  They're wrong.  I don't bang on the Wing, I bang on the procurement policy of the wing!  Not the Marines, the procurement managers!

Having said that, I've given the CH-53K a pass.

IT'S LATE AS FUCK!

The plane was suppose to be operational in 2015.  First flight was suppose to be in 2011.  I've laid off the whole thing.  I figured (rightly) that it was a victim of the laser focus on the F-35 and that since it's a key ground force enabler I would have mercy.

After this news? 

No more.

So let me get this straight.  The Marine Corps is buying a helicopter that costs 100 million dollars each and its performance is BARELY better than the airplane its replacing?

That's batshit stupid.

It would have been better to simply modernize what we had than to embark on this wunder weapon that will cost an arm and a leg.

Second Line Of Defense Blog talks about an aviation centric MEU....how aviation enabled Marine Corps is the future...

They're full of shit.

We can't afford trash like this.

I luv Sikorsky (especially before they were acquired by LM) but this is just junk work.  I wonder what Igor would say about all this?