
The Marine Corps has pushed back its first planned deployment of the Sikorsky [LMT]-built CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter to 2026, a lead program official confirmed on Tuesday. Col. Kate Fleeger, Marine Corps’ program manager for H-53 heavy lift helicopters, told reporters the decision to delay CH-53K deployment from the earlier 2025 goal was to ensure the service had the necessary supply and repair parts in place for the new aircraft. “So [we’re] making sure we have the appropriate…